Kathmandu, Aug. 25 -- The Public Procurement Monitoring Office has blacklisted at least nine construction and supply companies in the first one and a half months of the current fiscal year, higher than average monthly blacklisting in the last fiscal year.

A total of 51 companies, an average of 4.25 firms were blacklisted in a month in the last fiscal year 2018-19. According to the procurement monitoring office, another seven to eight firms are set to be blacklisted in the near future.

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"There is a growing sentiment that the companies that fail to fulfil their responsibilities should be penalised," said Yagyaraj Koirala, spokesperson for...