Kathmandu: Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Urban Development will cancel contracts of long-neglected and stalled development projects.
Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and Urban Development, Kulman Ghising, has directed secretaries and departmental heads of all three ministries to immediately prepare and submit a list of dormant projects.
Reviewing the status of ongoing works, Minister Ghising stressed that contractors who fail to deliver should not be allowed to keep projects in limbo.
“When major infrastructure projects are not completed on time and with the required quality, the country suffers immense economic loss while citizens are deprived of the benefits. We can no longer allow this situation. Identify such projects, evaluate them, and submit the list immediately,” he instructed.
“Without decisive action, there will be no results. We must terminate contracts for defunct projects and move forward with new procurement processes. Projects cannot be left stranded.”
Among stalled schemes are the Sunkoshi Marin Multipurpose Project under irrigation, over three dozen road projects, and more than one hundred bridge construction projects under physical infrastructure.
Minister Ghising also issued a strict order to complete the under-construction federal parliament building within the Singha Durbar complex by this coming Poush (December/January).
On Thursday, he met with Urban Development Secretary Gopal Sigdel, officials of the Special Building Construction and Coordination Office, project consultants, and contractors to push for the timely completion.
“The parliament building at Baneshwor was heavily damaged during the Gen Z movement. Currently, there is no functioning parliament building. This is a highly sensitive project — excuses will not be tolerated. All sides must be fully mobilized to finish before the deadline,” he said.
The construction contract for the parliament building was originally signed in Ashoj 2076 (2019) with a three-year completion target. After five extensions, the deadline now expires this coming Push. The project has reached 86 percent physical progress.
Remaining works include installation of additional trusses for false ceilings in the national and representative assembly halls, as well as the multipurpose hall on the first floor of both buildings. Electrical work such as the main LT panel, sub-LT panels, sanitary fittings, fire-fighting systems, HVAC testing, and commissioning are also pending.
Minister Ghising warned his ministries and subordinate agencies against corruption and irregularities.
“In the past, there have been allegations that some even sold off budgets. The Gen Z movement’s main agenda was corruption control. If we cannot curb corruption, public frustration will rise. Identify loopholes and close them. Anyone caught misappropriating even a single rupee will not be spared,” he declared.
He further instructed officials to improve service delivery and ensure transparency in all activities.
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