Kathmandu, February 1
The parliamentary Development Committee has directed the Prachanda government to expedite expansion of roads and construction of bridges. It has suggested the government to scrap construction contracts if contractors concerned are making delays.
Talking to the media after Wednesday’s meeting of the committee, Rabindra Adhikari, committee chair, said they asked the government to expedite expansion of roads and construction of bridges in the wake of delays in expansion-construction works.
On Wednesday, committee members had held discussions with Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Ramesh Lekhak, National Planning Commission Vice-chair Min Bahadur Shrestha and Devendra Karki, director-general at the Department of Roads, among others.
During the discussions, Minister Lekhak conceded that there had been some delays in the construction of bridges and expansioon of roads. Lekhak pledged to expedite the works.
On the occasion, he also pledged to take tough action against contractors concerned if they fail to complete construction works without compromising on the quality of work.
DG Karki said contractors were showing negligence in road and bridge projects. Ensuring quality development works is impossible without putting in place a system that ensures tough action against construction companies at fault, Karki said. At the meeting, committee members said the government should release budget for projects on time.
