The Dispute Adjudication Board (DAB) on Thursday gave the contractor 212 more days to complete the delayed Melamchi drinking water project.

This deadline is far less than Italian contractor Co-operativa Muratori e Cementisti di Ravenna’s (CMC) demand of 570 days.

An official with knowledge on DAB meeting held last Friday told the Post, “The partial verdict to grant more days to the Italian contractor is yet to be announced.”

The DAB gave its partial verdict based on the recommendation of Consultant Engineers (Eptisa), the source said.

“The DAB dismissed the contractor’s plea for 570 days and decided its verdict based on the recommendation of Consultant Engineers (Eptisa) of 212 days,” said the source.

The Melamchi Water supply Development Board (MWSDB) agrees with the consultant.

MWSDB Deputy Executive Director Bhoj Bahadur Thapa said Melamchi project work would continue even after the deadline ends.

“End of the deadline does not mean the contract would be terminated. They would have been awarded for completing their work within the deadline, but not finishing would make them liable to penalty,” said Thapa.

The contractor has demanded additional Rs 1.65 billion for the extra work because of the earthquake on April 25, 2015 that inflicted damages and delays.

The DAB is yet to give its final decision on the contractor’s demand for this amount. The government has already paid the contractor Rs280 million for the additional work.