Myagdi. The construction of six road upgrading projects run by the Gandaki Provincial Government through multi-year contracts in Myagdi has been halted due to budget shortage. The construction contractors have suspended road construction after not receiving payment for the work done due to budget shortage.
Subash Chandra Karki, a representative of the construction company for the Beni-Pakhapani road project, said that the construction was suspended after the government was unable to manage the budget. ‘Until two/three years ago, there was a situation where the budget could not be spent because the construction contractors could not work,’ he said. ‘Now, even though we can do two years’ work in one year, the government has not been able to provide the budget.’
Of the Beni-Pakhapani road project, which the Gandaki Provincial Government allocated Rs. 20 million in the current fiscal year, Rs. 19.4 million was spent in just six months. The project, which was signed between Mangaladevi Subash Construction Pvt. Ltd. and the Infrastructure Development Office Myagdi on 20 Jestha 2081 BS for Rs. 117.612 million with a target of completion in two years, has reached 50 percent physical progress.
The budget of Rs. 20 million allocated for the Darbang-Dharapani-Takam-Muna road was also exhausted in the last month of Poush. A contract agreement was signed between Ramsagar-BS Dhaulagiri JV and Infrastructure Development Office, Myagdi for the upgrade of this four-kilometer road on 20 Jestha 2081 BS for Rs 146.161 million.
Last year, the budget for the Beni-Pakhapani road was Rs 40 million and for the Darbang-Dharapani-Takam-Muna road was Rs 50 million. Not only Beni-Pakhapani and Darbang-Dharapani-Takam-Muna, but all the road and motorable bridge projects run by the provincial government in the district have been allocated in the current fiscal year.
The contractor for the motorable bridge of Arjekhola connecting Beni Municipality and Mangala Rural Municipality has not yet been paid even though the work was completed a year ahead of schedule last Ashar. Bishnu Prasad Poudel, head of the Infrastructure Development Office, Myagdi, said that the allocated budget has been paid and due to lack of transfer of funds or additional budget management, the construction entrepreneurs have not been able to be paid.
‘Out of 10 multi-year projects for roads and bridges in Myagdi, including one old one, eight are under construction,’ he said, ‘but they have been stopped due to lack of budget to pay construction entrepreneurs.’ Office Chief Poudel said that a liability of Rs 139 million has been created for the multi-year plan.
The construction of the Beni-Bhakimli road, Darwang-Adivhara-Dadangaun-Sole-Taman-Burtiwang road, the road connecting Mahesh-Ghapung-Tarakhola rural municipality via Pakher-Barangja 3 and 4, and the Darwang-Bim-Dichyam road upgrade project has been stopped.
Last year, seven road upgrades and two motorable bridges were started in Myagdi at a cost of about Rs 680 million. Contract agreements were signed with various construction companies for the implementation of these projects at a cost of Rs 677.8 million. The Ministry of Finance had secured the resources of Rs 1.2 billion.
The Ministry of Finance has secured the resources and secured the resources, and the thematic ministries have not managed enough budget for projects that have been awarded multi-year contracts and have prioritized the Tukre plan, said Resham Bahadur Jugjali, a member of the Provincial Assembly.
‘The budget allocation to the Tukre plan has led to a shortage in large and prestigious projects,’ he said. ‘We have made the ministers of the thematic ministries and the Chief Minister aware of the budget shortage in the ongoing and completed phases of the projects.’
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