[Archive] Developmental retardation: The same yesterday and today

Falgun 26, 2081

Kantipur Reporter

[Archive] Developmental retardation: The same yesterday and today

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The confusion in planning, budget allocation, disbursement and implementation has always created obstacles in the rapid development of physical infrastructure. This problem of three decades ago is still almost the same.

The budget is not released until the end of the financial year and the work started is not completed as the rainy season approaches. The example of one agency blaming the other and the delay in the implementation of the plan becoming an obstacle to development is almost the same yesterday and today. 

After the political change of 2046, the road construction proposed throughout the country in the 1950s was entangled in the tender process even with four months left to the end of the financial year. Nepali Congress was the majority government. Apart from their own internal strife, there was no possibility of political instability based on the number of MP seats in the parliament. Even though it was possible to do rough work, the result was not visible . But even then, there are examples of slow implementation of the plan. 

Most of the 75 roads in Muluvar proposed in the financial year 2049/50 had problems in implementation. Officials of the National Planning Commission, the Ministry of Construction and Transport and the Roads Department blamed each other for lack of policy reform and mutual coordination.

means that even though the budget was released on time, the argument did not reach the implementing organization was that of Vinayak Bhadra, a member of the Planning Commission. The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Narayan Prasad Tiwari, argued that there was confusion as to whether the roads would be built by the consumers or tendered. Spokesperson of the Ministry, RD Prabhash Chatout, responded that the directions were insufficient.

Vice Chairman of the Planning Commission, Ram Sharan Mahat, used to say that even if only tractors were to run according to the wishes of the people, road construction should be expedited . But the road department did not consider the road proposed by Mahat to be a road according to the standards, so there was a lack of policy clarity . Bhadra, a member of the project, said that the road department does not have any road data. Road technicians used to accuse the Planning Commission of making plans without policies and trying to implement them. 

At that time, within the eighth five-year plan, apart from road culverts and bridges, the goal was to construct 1,200 km of district-level roads from the consumer committee. It was concluded that the condition of road construction is satisfactory in the discussion held in the National Development Problem Solving Committee chaired by the Prime Minister. But the government officials informally used to say that the construction progress was not as stated in the Development Committee.

At that time, the news titled 'Kagji Doudmai Amalmalee Khun Hamura Sadakharu' was published on the front page of Kantipur on the 11th of Chait 2049, prepared by journalist Narayan Wagle about the policy put forward by the country's planning commission and the state of road construction.

presentation: Rishiram Paudyal

Kantipur

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