DHANGADHI: Nearly 300 projects of road construction, handed over to the government of Sudurpaschim Province, are in limbo as construction works have not begun even with the approach of final quarter of the current fiscal year.

The road projects, previously implemented by the road division offices and district technical offices, have come under the purview of Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development of the province.

Shyam Khadka, chief of the infrastructure development office in Dhangadhi, which has been overseeing the road projects in Kailali and Kanchanpur districts, said, contracts of construction have been signed for some of the road projects only.

Responsibility of constructing 305 roads associated with province development had been given to the state government. However, for technical reasons, the federal government took back some of the projects under its purview -- including Seti Lokmarga, Postal Highway, Mahakali Corridor, Dhangadhi-Attariya six-lane road -- while nine roads have been included under the projects of provincial pride.

Roads under the purview of province government are to be constructed by four infrastructure development offices. However, designs of some of the roads are yet to be drawn even as the third quarter of the current fiscal year is coming to a close.

The delay in starting the road construction projects has been attributed to delay in the establishment of infrastructure development office, the project implementing body, which only began operation during the mid of the current fiscal year.

People of Sudurpaschim Province were hopeful that development works would move ahead with the formation of three tiers of government. But they have been disappointed as the road construction projects -- which were ongoing before establishment of the province government -- stopped after it came into power.