Just like during the royal regime, Melamchi has again become fodder, this time for the Maoists. A project that was moribund after the royal takeover in Feburary 2005 was finally restarted.

We had to work hard to convince the UML to agree to the Melamchi legislation. The Maoists had never been happy about it. If the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works had remained with us, we wouldn't have had this problem. The hullabaloo over privatisation of the Nepal Water Supply Corporation was nonsense. It was a six-year management contract to streamline water supply.

I had warned Sher Bahadur Deuba and Girija Prasad Koirala about giving the ministry to the Maoists who were already saying "melamchi bye bye".

Yet, we offered it to them on a platter. The UML devoured the Arun III project in 1994, this time the Maoists devoured Melamchi. Now who will suffer? It will be the thirsty lower and middle class citizens of the Valley. The eight parties better think about this seriously.