More than Rs 105 million allocated for the construction of Gautam Buddha International Cricket Stadium in Bharatpur, Chitwan, remained frozen last fiscal year.
The amount was frozen after Himalayan Kalinchok BBR JV, the construction company responsible for the project, failed to accelerate the work on time. Out of the allocated budget Rs 73.43 million by the federal government and Rs 32 million by the Bagmati Provincial Government, remained unspent.
The federal government had allocated Rs 250 million for the construction last fiscal year, of which only Rs 176.5 million was spent. Similarly, the Bagmati Province had allocated Rs 100 million, but only Rs 68 million was utilised.
Only 69.87 per cent of the total allocated budget was spent last fiscal year. The construction company received a payment of Rs 176.56 million through three running bills and had already taken NPR 136 million in advance during the previous fiscal year.
Unhappy metropolitan
By the end of the last fiscal year (mid-July), physical progress on the stadium construction was only 27.49 per cent. Project Manager Binay Dhakal claimed that with the completion of the VIP parapet slab, physical progress reached around 35 per cent.
The Bharatpur Metropolitan City has expressed dissatisfaction over the slow pace of work by the contractor company.
After indications that the budget allocated by the federal and provincial governments might be frozen, Bharatpur Mayor Renu Dahal summoned construction head Bikash Gautam to the site on May 24 and urged him to ensure the funds were not frozen and to accelerate the construction work. Gautam committed to completing 40 percent of the work by the end of the fiscal year. However, with less than 30 percent completed, Rs 105 million remained frozen despite being in the metropolitan’s account.
Inspecting the construction site
Senior Divisional Engineer Santosh Acharya of the metropolitan city said it was unfortunate that the federal government’s grant funds had to be frozen due to lack of progress.
“It might be hard to get such funds again. Not utilizing allocated funds sends a bad message,” said Acharya. “Provincial funds can still be requested again, but if they don’t come, it puts an additional burden on the metropolitan.”
Although the target was to complete 40 percent of the work by the fiscal year-end, the contractor failed to escalate the pace. Citing reasons like lack of workforce, scarcity of construction materials, and other excuses, the contractor has been delaying the work.
“Workers Went to Plant Rice, Concrete Pipe Materials Didn’t Arrive”
During an inspection by the metropolitan team in May, the contractor claimed there were only about 100 workers on site. Despite the metropolitan offering full support, the construction pace remained slow
According to Dhakal, there are currently only around 90 workers on site, attributing the low number to workers going home to plant rice.
Dhakal said preparations were complete for the second VIP tower slab, but delays were caused by the late arrival of concrete pipe materials. He mentioned that both materials and workers would arrive in a couple of days and that the second VIP tower slab would be built soon.
He also stated that rod work for the pillars of the first VIP tower would begin soon, and that construction on the eastern parapet was also being prepared.
So far, the contractor has installed drain covers for 200 meters and constructed 115 meters of compound wall. Project Manager Dhakal said field and pitch work would only begin after the Dashain festival.
Five pitches are to be constructed at the stadium. The contract for the stadium was signed in July 2024 , with a commitment to complete it within the designated timeframe. Although there has been little rainfall and a favorable environment for construction, the contractor’s failure to speed up work has raised concerns about timely completion.
The contract was signed on July 7,2024, with a completion deadline of January 6, 2027 . Although the parapet construction at TU International Cricket Ground in Kathmandu began only in March/April, it is progressing rapidly, unlike the slow physical progress at the Bharatpur stadium.
Metropolitan took ownership after Dhurmus–Suntali withdrew
Initially, the stadium was being built under the leadership of the Dhurmus–Suntali Foundation. However, due to lack of funds, the work came to a halt and remained suspended for nearly two August 2021.
Taking over the ownership, the metropolitan city resumed work via contract from July 2024 with investment from the federal, provincial, and city governments.
The first phase of the stadium, contracted at Rs 780 million, will include a parapet with a seating capacity of 10,000 people. Previously, the Dhurmus–Suntali Foundation had built a parapet accommodating 3,000 people.
According to the engineer Acharya, the stadium will have five pitches, a modern drainage system on the field, and two 3-storey VIP towers, one for VIPs and players, and the other for media, umpires, and corporate boxes.
No budget from federal government this fiscal year
The federal government has not allocated any budget for the stadium in the current fiscal year. The provincial government has allocated Rs 90 million, and Bharatpur Metropolitan City has allocated Rs 40 million. Last year, the province allocated Rs 100 million and the metropolitan allocated Rs 50 million. In February 2024, the Bagmati Province government decided to provide Rs 525 million for the stadium.
Mayor Dahal said that in the second phase, parapets to seat an additional 15,000 people, chairs, and floodlights would be installed.
To build seating for 30,000, the Dhurmus–Suntali Foundation had previously erected 286 pillars. The federal cabinet meeting held in early November 2023, included Gautam Buddha Cricket Stadium as a National Pride Project and decided that the remaining work would be jointly completed by all three tiers of government.
