KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 4
Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka noted that most of the development projects under the ministry had made satisfactory progress.
He made these remarks during the second quarterly review meeting held on Sunday.
However, DPM Khadka directed the Nepal Army to ensure the timely completion of the Kathmandu-Tarai expressway. He emphasized that the technicians involved in this project need to increase monitoring and inspection in the field. DPM Khadka also stressed the importance of quality assurance.
According to him, accelerating the development projects requires inter-agency coordination, adequate budget allocation, capacity building of the Nepal Army, and full utilization of equipment. Khadka expressed concern about limiting review meetings to formality.
During the meeting, Joint Secretary Baburam Adhikari presented an overview of the development projects managed by the ministry and the Nepal Army. Ministry Secretary Kiran Raj Sharma emphasized prioritizing the clearing of arrears and directed the relevant bodies to complete the projects on time to reap their benefits.
Similarly, National Planning Commission member Dr. Ram Kumar Phunyal highlighted the challenges of using riverbed materials for construction. He suggested making raw materials available at the local level and easing land acquisition and tree felling processes to accelerate development projects.
Furthermore, Chief of Army Staff Prabhu Ram Sharma committed to completing the development projects undertaken by the Nepal Army within the stipulated timeframe and maintaining quality standards.
