Contractor paid Rs 37.8 million, but less than 10% work was completed; locals warn of landslide risk
BAJURA, DECEMBER 29
Construction of a 15-bed hospital planned in Budhiganga Municipality, Bajura, has come to a standstill despite the expiry of the project deadline, raising concerns over contractor performance, site selection, and public spending.
According to local officials and health workers, work has progressed only to limited foundation digging, with the overall physical progress estimated at below 20 percent. Health worker Deepak Shah said the construction has remained abandoned after partial excavation of the foundation.
The municipality had awarded the project a contract worth Rs 221.94 million, with Sky Nishan Adhikari JV signing an agreement to complete the work for Rs 188.49 million. The contract was signed on Kartik 22, 2078 BS, with a completion deadline of Bhadra 20, 2080 BS.
Municipal officials said the contractor has already received Rs 37.8 million, including Rs 26 million as an advance payment and Rs 11.8 million as payment for completed work. Technical staff, however, maintain that the actual construction does not even meet 10 percent of the project scope.
The municipality has extended the contractor's deadline, but residents say delays have compounded risks at the construction site, which lies in a landslide-prone and steep area. Mayor Ram Bahadur Baniya said four families living uphill from the site have already been displaced due to the increased risk of landslides following excavation work.
A municipal technician acknowledged that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) had selected an unsuitable location for the hospital. Mayor Baniya added that while the site selection was flawed from the outset, the contractor's negligence has further stalled the project.
The hospital was initiated under the federal government's "One Municipality, One Hospital" programme launched during the tenure of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli. Health worker Shah said that despite repeated requests to speed up construction, no meaningful progress has been made.
The project began during the tenure of then-mayor Deepak Bikram Shah of the Nepali Congress, while the current mayor, Baniya, represents the CPN-UML.
Locals said they had opposed the project earlier, arguing that safer alternative sites were available but ignored.
In contrast, similar 15-bed hospital projects launched around the same time in Gaumul and Jagannath rural municipalities have already been completed and are in operation.
