Kathmandu, August 20

The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has formed a committee to conduct a study on the sick projects that are being implemented under the ministry. The committee has been established under the coordination of MoUD’s Joint Secretary Dwarika Shrestha and has been asked to submit a report within 15 days.

According to officials at MoUD, the committee will also recommend ways to solve the problems that arise during the implementation of the projects. The five-member committee led by Shrestha includes other members from the technical, legal, administrative and financial divisions of the ministry.

MoUD has been involved in a few projects related to the construction of health sector buildings that have not moved forward since over 10 years. “We have been annually allocating budget for the development of health sector buildings, however, some projects have not moved ahead since a long time,” said Ramesh Prasad Singh, spokesperson for MoUD. “The ministry wants to find out the problems related to these sick projects and will take immediate action.”

The committee has been assigned the responsibility to find out the status of all projects that are being implemented across the country under MoUD. “We do know of a few reasons why the projects are not being completed within the scheduled time like ineffective government bodies and negligence of contractors,” he said. “The newly formed committee will not only find out all the problems but also provide suggestions to get them completed.”

The study committee also has been provided the authority to take oral or written statements from the concerned civil servants or contractors regarding why the projects have been delayed.

Urban Development Minister Prabhu Shah has urged the committee to complete the task within the scheduled time. “We want to move forward with those projects that have remained stuck for more than 10 years and we believe that this move will help create pressure on the concerned parties.”