KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 17
Giving momentum to its effort to eliminate long-running boondoggles, the government has further curtailed wasteful and stalled projects, particularly in the road construction sector, many of which had remained idle for years.
In a notice issued today, the Road Division Office, Kathmandu announced the termination of contracts for 25 sick and stalled projects. These contracts had been signed between fiscal years 2067/68 BS and 2079/80 BS.
Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Physical Infrastructure Kul Man Ghising had earlier instructed subordinate bodies to cancel non-performing construction agreements to end the practice of leaving projects incomplete for prolonged periods.
Acting on the minister's directive, offices under the Department of Roads initiated the process to terminate the contracts of these roadway boondoggles. On October 28, the Road Division Office sought clarification from the 25 concerned contractors.
According to Office Chief Subodh Devkota, the contracts were ultimately cancelled in accordance with the Public Procurement Act, after the explanations submitted by the contractors were deemed unsatisfactory. The contractors had been instructed to appear at the office within 15 days.
Despite repeated reminders and directives to expedite construction works, the contractors consistently failed to demonstrate progress, prompting the government to finally terminate the agreements.
