BIRENDRANAGAR, Oct 9: Nineteen road and bridge projects across eight districts of Karnali Province remain incomplete years after their contracts were awarded, raising questions about contractors’ performance and the provincial government’s contract management and monitoring.
Some projects have made little progress, while construction has not even begun on a bridge in Humla more than four years after the contract was signed. Several projects have already crossed their contractual deadlines without completion.
The stalled projects are in Surkhet, Dailekh, Dolpa, Humla, Jajarkot, Kalikot, Mugu and Rukum West. Despite repeated delays, authorities have struggled to take effective action against contractors.
Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development Minister Milan Khadka said projects had suffered because some contractors held contracts for years without making adequate progress. She said contractors could no longer be allowed to delay construction indefinitely.
Three stalled projects are in Surkhet, the provincial capital. The Ranighat-Telpani-Bhurigaun road contract was signed in June 2020, while the Ghatgaun-Gutu-Salghari-Koiralabas-Kuinebhir road was contracted in June 2022. A vehicle trial center contract was signed in January 2023. All remain incomplete despite their deadlines having passed.
The delays have affected transportation and public services, while residents along unfinished roads continue to face dust, mud, difficult travel and accident risks.
Two major roads are incomplete in Dailekh. A road connecting the district headquarters through wards 1 to 4 of Naumule Rural Municipality to Juni in Jajarkot was contracted in August 2021. The Sangetara-Bindrasaini-Chamunda road contract was awarded around the same time. Both failed to meet their deadlines, affecting local and interdistrict connectivity.
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In Dolpa, the road from Saraswati Temple in Dunai through Tiplagaun to Thargaun and Kandatali also remains unfinished. The contract was signed in June 2022.
Humla has two stalled motorable bridge projects. Construction of the Lalibagar-Olathali bridge has yet to begin even though its contract was signed in May 2022.
Jajarkot has four projects that failed to meet their deadlines. A motorable bridge linking Saghutara in Barekot-8 with Sirke Jiula in Nalgad-5 was contracted in August 2021, with completion originally scheduled for early 2024.
The Salma-Khola bridge along the Chheda-Chande-Jumla road was contracted on the same day with a similar deadline. A 30-kilometer section of the Chheda-Thalah-Salmakhola-Chande-Jumla road and the Sakla-Khari-Bayal-Limsa road under the Kalimati-Khalchaur-Netilek corridor were contracted in December 2022. Both remain incomplete.
Several old contracts are also unfinished in Kalikot. The Kalikot-Seri-Pantadi-Padyaghat road linking Jumla was contracted in May 2020. The Damrighad concrete bridge in Palata-9 was awarded in July 2020, while the Waratu-Siyala-Regil road contract was signed in May 2022. None was completed within the agreed period.
In Mugu, the Dimukh-Tarapani-Gamgadhi-Nakchelagna road and Dimukha concrete bridge remain unfinished. The road contract was signed in April 2023 and the bridge contract in December 2021.
Similarly, construction of the Chhedabagar concrete bridge in Rukum West remains incomplete. Its contract was awarded in July 2021, but the completion deadline has already passed.
The failure to complete projects even five or six years after contracts were signed has raised broader questions about government oversight after contracts are awarded.
Delays burden residents and state
Construction delays are not simply a matter of contractors failing to work. They impose financial costs on the government and hardship on residents.
As prices of construction materials and labor rise, prolonged delays can increase project costs. At the same time, residents remain deprived of roads, bridges and other public infrastructure despite government spending.
In geographically difficult Karnali, roads and bridges serve purposes far beyond transportation. They connect farmers with markets, help patients reach hospitals, allow students to attend schools and link remote settlements with government services. When construction drags on for years, residents face the disruption and risks of construction without receiving its benefits.
Poor contractor performance appears to be a major factor behind the 19 stalled projects, but responsibility does not rest with contractors alone. Government agencies set completion deadlines when signing contracts, yet repeated deadline violations have often failed to produce effective action.
Authorities have the power to penalize contractors, terminate contracts or arrange for remaining work to be completed through other means. In practice, however, such procedures often become lengthy and complicated.
The government also needs a clear assessment of why each project stalled, which contractor is responsible, how much money has already been spent, how much work remains and when construction can realistically be completed.
Karnali Province now faces two immediate tasks: reviving projects that have remained stalled for years and reforming contract management to prevent similar problems in the future.
Arjun Bam, provincial secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development, said the ministry had held extensive discussions on the stalled projects. District authorities have been instructed to immediately move forward with projects that can still be completed and initiate action in cases where construction cannot proceed, he said.
