Nov 27, Kathmandu- The government has given a contract worth 3 billion to the contractor involved in the Chitwan rhino death case.

Lumbini Province Capital Construction Project Implementation Unit on Sunday awarded the contract for the first phase of the project to Ramesh Sharma and Sahdev Khadka's joint company (Sharma Sagun JV), an influential contractor close to the Congress.

Khadka is a contractor involved in the death case of a rhinoceros falling into a drain in Chitwan's Bharatpur. The police had issued an arrest warrant against him 9 months ago. But he has not been arrested till now. On January 23 last year, a rhinoceros died after falling into a drain constructed on the under-construction 6-lane Gondrang-Pulchok road section in Chitwan's Bharatpur. The committee formed to investigate the incident has submitted its report.

Chitwan National Park (CNP) held Sagun Construction's owner Sahdev Khadka guilty of the incident. On January 27, CNP also issued an arrest warrant against Khadka. But he was not arrested. Defense workers alleged that he was given immunity because of political access. The Lumbini state government awarded the same contractor with a contract worth 3.8 billion rupees.