31 Multi-Year Projects Stalled in Sudurpaschim; 129 Show Less Than 50% Progress

Kailali: More than two dozen multi-year projects under the Sudurpaschim Provincial Government have reached a stalled or problematic state.

The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development of the province reported that 31 multi-year projects, which have remained abandoned for a long time and failed to make progress despite repeated deadline extensions, are currently at a standstill. The list of stalled projects includes those for which contracts were awarded during the tenure of the first provincial government.

According to the Ministry, the stalled projects comprise approximately two dozen road-related schemes and half a dozen road bridge projects. Certain sections of the province’s “pride projects,” or flagship road projects, are also among those stalled.

A status report released by the Ministry, covering the period from its inception to the present, reveals that more than half of the multi-year projects currently underway across the province have achieved less than 50 percent progress. Of the 193 multi-year projects, 129 fall into this category.

Ministry records indicate that 19 projects have achieved 50–60 percent physical progress, 22 have achieved 60–80 percent progress, and 23 have surpassed 80 percent physical progress. The Ministry has also formed a committee to study the status of these multi-year projects.

Ministry Secretary Bishnu Bhandari stated that further details regarding the status of the multi-year projects would be available once the committee submits its report. He added that, based on the report’s findings, the Ministry would make necessary decisions, such as extending deadlines or cancelling contracts, for projects that have remained stalled for extended periods.

Minister Bhat stated that the 31 projects had reached this problematic state due to the negligence and sluggishness of construction contractors. He said the implementation of multi-year projects has been ineffective due to factors such as negligence by construction companies, failure to allocate adequate budgets, issues with fund reallocation, and delays in clearing the right-of-way for road projects.

Successive provincial governments have tended to add more multi-year projects based on political influence. However, the government has failed to focus on allocating sufficient budgets for ongoing projects or ensuring their timely completion. Consequently, there is a recurring trend in which new multi-year projects are added annually while most existing projects lack adequate funding. Ministry records indicate that approximately 1,150 drinking water projects across the province’s nine districts remain incomplete due to a lack of budgetary priority.

Amid the need to prioritize multi-year projects in the budget, the provincial government is currently in the process of formulating the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The Ministry has stated that funds will be allocated with priority given to multi-year projects in this year’s budget. Minister Bhat stated that budget allocations would prioritize multi-year projects that have already achieved a certain level of progress, ensuring their completion within the current year.

He also asserted that the number of projects would be reduced this year to avoid the implementation difficulties caused by the proliferation of small, fragmented projects in the past. On August 24 (Bhadra 8), the day he assumed office, Minister Bhat had decided to form a committee to study multi-year projects and submit a report within one month.

He stated that decisions regarding how to advance multi-year projects and provincial flagship projects would be made based on the committee’s report. Minister Bhat also announced that the government would begin construction of the provincial capital this year and that the necessary budget for this purpose would be allocated.

Sudurpaschim Province, which has been without a budget since the 1st of Shrawan, is currently in the process of formulating the budget for the current fiscal year.