Kathmandu, Dec. 1
Experts have said that the entire process of infrastructure development in the country is running in an ad hoc basis.
Speaking at the Gorkhapatra Sambad, a weekly dialogue of the Gorkhapatra Corporation, they stressed on the overhaul of the entire system of public construction from conceiving the project, preparedness, Detailed Project Report and execution.
"The country should have devised a strategy to make itself reliant in construction services. It has not been reflected in any plans, policies and strategies," said Prof. Dr. Surya Raj Acharya, an infrastructure expert.
"Until and unless we have proper system for the identification of the development project, master plan to create it, environment clearance and land acquisition system, there won't be much progress," he added.
Stating that the capacity of the consultants and contractors as well as government bureaucracy was questionable, he suggested reviewing the project designs by more skilled consultants.
President of the Federation of Contractors Association of Nepal Rabi Singh said that the contractors had long been taken as the culprit of the project delay and poor quality while no body blamed the consultant and the government.
According to him, there is a paradox in the government system as the bureaucracy denied the facility to the contractors which the Prime Minister had pledged.
"More than 2,000 projects are stuck now and billions of rupees of the contractors is yet to be disbursed by the government," said Singh.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Rajeshwor Gyawali said that the Detailed Project Report of any project was consultant dependent as the government did not have the capacity to prepare it on its own.
According to him, while the projects are contracted out without proper preparations, the contractors have also accepted more projects than their capacity even though they lacked technical expertise.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 2 December 2019.
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