Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that he was serious in addressing several demands of contractors.

The Prime Minister has directed the Ministry of Finance and other line ministries to promptly address the demands, including payment of completed works and Value Added Tax on mutual coordination, informed Spokesperson of the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Narayan Prasad Bhatta.

In order to resolve the problem, a six-member taskforce has been formed under the coordination of Public Procurement Monitoring Office Secretary Dr Damodar Regmi with joint-secretaries of line ministries as members.

The committee is mandated to submit the report within 15 days after conducting necessary consultations and coordination with different stakeholders.

The taskforce comprises representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development among others.

The contractors have been staging demonstrations since June 30 demanding that the government make payments for their completed works.