BAJURA, JULY 2
Around Rs 200 million allocated for the blacktopping of the Martadi-Kolti road section in Bajura is likely to remain unspent this fiscal year after the contractor failed to carry out construction work, according to the Infrastructure Development Office, Achham.
The budget was allocated for blacktopping the 26-kilometre Dhamkane-Kolti section of the Martadi-Kolti road. However, officials said virtually no progress has been made this fiscal year despite repeated deadline extensions.
Office chief Jung Bahadur Thapa said the contractor's security deposit of Rs 30.6 million has already been claimed through the bank, while the office has written to Nepal Rastra Bank to recover an additional Rs 120 million from the contractor.
The contract was awarded to PS Baniya Construction Service in June 2020 for Rs 501.7 million, with a target to complete the project within three years. Although the deadline has been extended several times, only about 50 percent of the work has been completed, according to the office.
Officials said the project has repeatedly failed to utilise its allocated budget. In the previous fiscal year, more than Rs 135 million out of the Rs 150 million allocated for the project had to be returned after construction failed to progress.
The Infrastructure Development Office had earlier issued a 15-day public notice warning that the contract could be terminated and asking the contractor to explain the delays. Officials said the contractor did not respond within the stipulated period.
The Martadi-Kolti road, a 41-kilometre strategic route connecting Bajura district headquarters with Kolti in Budhinanda Municipality, is being implemented under a multi-year provincial project with funding shared equally by the federal and provincial governments.
The entire road upgrading project, divided into three contract packages, is estimated at Rs 1.57 billion.
Construction of the road began in 1999, but the project remains incomplete after 26 years, with locals continuing to face transport disruptions, particularly during the monsoon.