Kathmandu, March 12 -- The Public Procurement Monitoring Office has blacklisted 13 errant firms-contractors and suppliers-for occupying a large number of projects without completing them on time since January 17. The number of blacklisted firms has been on the rise in the last three years.

PPMO officials said that this rise is a manifestation of the growing anomalies in the construction sector.

Under the Public Procurement Act, a blacklisted firm cannot take part in public procurement from one to three years depending on the seriousness of the offence.

As of February 23, the PPMO had initiated the process of blacklisting 32 firms. Of them, seven firms have been suspended following court orders. In the fiscal year 2017-18, 52 firms were...