Be it the Mid-Hill Highway, Postal Highway, Kaligandaki Corridor, or even the Karnali Corridor, construction of prestigious projects is ongoing across the country. Most of the projects are being constructed. But their pace is slow due to lack of budget. Even though the government has considered them as important projects, the problem arises due to lack of adequate budget allocation, according to the relevant project office. 

Upgrading and expansion work has been taken forward on most roads and highways across the country based on the traffic volume. In some places, new roads are being constructed. Construction of two tunnels for vehicles is also ongoing. Due to contracting without preparation, lack of adequate budget allocation, inability to move electricity poles, inability to remove drinking water pipes, and shortage of construction materials, road infrastructure construction has not been able to gain momentum. 

He said the main problem in the project is the budget. There is currently a liability of Rs 14 billion. There is a lack of budget to pay for the contracts that have been awarded. Deep Barahi, Director of the Madan Bhandari Highway Project Directorate, said that no new contracts have been awarded this year due to lack of multi-year resource agreement. ‘Work is being done only where contracts were awarded in the last fiscal year,’ he said, ‘so far, no new contracts have been awarded.’ He said the main problem in the project is the budget. There is currently a liability of Rs 14 billion. There is a lack of budget to pay for the contracts that have been awarded. ‘Only Rs 2.5 billion has been allocated in the current fiscal year,’ Barahi said, ‘so far, no source agreement has been obtained to award the new contract.’ He said the overall project is targeted to be completed by 2084/85. Its cost estimate is Rs 75 billion. So far, Rs 42 billion has been spent. Overall, the construction progress is 56 percent, according to the directorate.

It will connect Jhapa’s Bahundangi to Dadeldhura. The construction of this highway began with the decision taken by the Council of Ministers on 6 Jestha 2075. Its distance is 1,390 kilometers. Of this, only 740 km falls within the scope of the Directorate. The remaining 650 km are under other projects under the Roads Department. So far, 185 bridges need to be built, of which 149 have been completed. Out of 740 km, 179 km of roads are yet to be contracted. So far, 396 km of roads have been built, the Directorate has said. 

It has been 18 years since the construction of the Mid-Hill Highway, which is a national pride, began. The work has not been completed yet. The construction progress is 84.69 percent. Out of 1,879 km of roads to be built under the Mid-Hill Highway Project, 462 km have been built under other projects and divisions. 1,67.6 km of roads have been blacktopped under the Mid-Hill Project. The construction of 114 bridges has been completed. 

The initial cost estimate of the project was 33.36 billion rupees, which has been revised to 84.33 billion rupees. So far, Rs 71.91 billion has been spent. It is estimated that 10 million people will benefit after the project is completed. Its construction has been started with the goal of building a two-lane blacktop road from Chiwabhanjyang in Panchthar in the east to Jhulaghat in Baitadi in the west. 

Another project of national pride is the Hulaki Highway. Its construction has been started 16 years ago, but the work has not been completed. So far, the construction progress is only 74.35 percent. The highway construction was started from the fiscal year 2066/67 as per the concept of connecting the area from Kechanakawal in Jhapa to Dodhara Chandani in Kanchanpur in the west. In the past decade and a half, the issue of highway construction has been on the election agenda of several parties several times. But it is still not at the stage of completion. 

The project, which was started with the aim of benefiting about 10 million people in 21 districts of Tarai-Madhesh, has not progressed due to budget constraints or delays in policy decisions. In some places, the construction work has not been able to move forward due to lack of contracts. The total distance of this project is 1,857 kilometers. So far, 1,380 kilometers have been blacktopped. Out of 300 bridges to be constructed, only 153 have been completed. All work has been completed, 150.90 km of roads and 69 bridges are yet to be contracted. The project has stated that the outline of where to build the highway in some sections is yet to be finalized. 

The distance of the east-west and north-south roads under the Postal Highway is 975 km and 882 km, respectively. When the project was started, the completion date was set for the fiscal year 2074/75.  The distance of the east-west 975 km and north-south road connecting the postal highway is 882 km. When the project was started, the completion date was set for the fiscal year 2074/75. Now the time has been revised to 2083/84. Its cost has been revised to 101.93 billion rupees. Kuber Nepali, Director of the Postal Highway Directorate, said that the lack of budget is the main problem in the project.  

‘This highway is in the process of being completed, the source agreement has not yet been received this year, as per the multi-year criteria of the Ministry of Finance, it should be submitted to the National Planning Commission by mid-Poush, and the commission should send the source agreement to the Ministry of Finance by 15 Magh,’ Nepali said, ‘Currently, there is a liability of 10.5 billion, now 27 billion rupees are needed to complete all the work.’ So far, the issue of giving source agreement has not reached the Ministry of Finance. According to the multi-year criteria, a file has been received from the project for source agreement and it is being reviewed by the project bank, said Diwakar Luintel, assistant spokesperson of the National Planning Commission. 

‘The project is being kept in the bank and reviewed, only then will it be sent to the Ministry of Finance for resource approval,’ said Luitel, ‘According to the multi-year standards of the Ministry of Finance, it will be submitted to the National Planning Commission by mid-Poush, and the commission should send it to the Ministry of Finance by 15 Magh and give resource approval, but preparations are being made to amend it and extend the time.’ 

The total distance of the Koshi Corridor, which was built in 2065/66, is 162 km. Its construction began in 2065/66 to connect Basantapur in Tehrathum to the northern border with Kimathanka. The project was supposed to be completed in 2080/81. After the work was not completed during this time, the time has been extended to 2085/86. The progress is only 46 percent. Its initial cost estimate was 11.93 billion rupees, but it has been revised to 16.20 billion rupees. So far, 6.85 billion rupees have been spent. The work of opening the entire road track has been completed. So far, 16 km of blacktop, 36 km are under construction. The construction of 10 bridges has been completed. Currently, 111 km of roads are yet to be blacktopped and 14 bridges are yet to be constructed.

The work on the Kaligandaki Corridor, which is Gaurav's own project, is not yet complete. It connects Gaindakot in Nawalparasi to Maldhunga Beni-Jomsom-Korla in Parbat. Its total distance is 495 km. Of which, the target is to blacktop 87 km and 488 km of roads. 85 bridges will have to be constructed. The construction of the entire project began in the fiscal year 2066/67. So far, 87 km of gravel roads and 328 km of blacktop roads have been completed. Contracts for blacktopping 40.42 km of roads and 22 bridges are yet to be constructed. The construction progress is 82.05 percent.

The construction of the Karnali Corridor began in 2065/66. So far, the overall progress is 20.5 percent. When the project was started, it was said to be completed by 2070. Later, the time was extended to 2079/80. Now, the target is set to complete it again in 2084/85. The initial cost estimate of this road was 4.1 billion rupees, but it has been revised to 18.66 billion rupees. 

Of this, 246 km has been worked on by the Road Department and 22.8 km by the Army. So far, Rs 3.1 billion has been spent. 268.8 km of road tracks have been constructed. The distance of the Karnali Corridor from Khulalu in Kalikot to Hilsa via Simkot is 268.8 km. Of this, 246 km has been worked on by the Road Department and 22.8 km by the Army. So far, 3.1 billion rupees have been spent. 268.8 km of road tracks have been constructed. Of which 75 km of gravel road has been constructed, the blacktop work has not yet started. The construction of 4 bridges has also been completed. The contract for the construction of 22 km of gravel, 219 km of blacktop and 15 bridges is yet to be awarded.  

Work has been taken forward to construct a two-lane road on 65 km of the Galchhi-Trishuli-Mailung-Syafrubensi-Rasuwagadhi road. Although its construction began in the fiscal year 2072/73, the progress is only 66 percent. So far, Rs 10.1 billion has been spent on this project, which is targeted to be completed in 2085/86. Its cost estimate is Rs 15.5 billion. So far, 38.5 km of blacktop roads have been constructed. 24.5 km of roads are under construction. While the construction of 21 bridges has been completed, the construction of 3 is ongoing. 19 km of roads are yet to be blacktopped and 3 bridges are yet to be contracted. Of the 86.83 km of Kamala-Kanchanpur road, only 56.92 km of roads have been blacktopped and 44 bridges have been constructed. The project, which started on June 25, 2020, is scheduled to be completed on October 28, 2023, but the construction progress is only 67.03 percent so far. 

Ramhari Pokharel, Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, said that the lack of budget is often the biggest problem in projects. ‘The budget allocation for the project is not sufficient, work should be done according to the allocation. There is also a problem in the budgetary system,’ he said, ‘In some places, work is delayed due to construction entrepreneurs, and in many places, work is not picking up speed when contracts are taken.’ Even when environmental impact assessment (EIA) is done, work is delayed due to inability to extract construction materials. 

‘After the contract is awarded, there are problems with moving electricity poles and cutting trees, and in some places, there are delays in the construction of the project due to compensation,’ Pokharel said, ‘A lot of problems would have been reduced if the contract was awarded after completing all the preparatory work.’ Although it is called a national pride project in terms of policy, it has not been given priority as an important project by keeping it on par with other projects. 

Spokesperson Pokharel said that there are problems in managing new contracts even if the National Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance do not receive resource consent as per the multi-year criteria on time. Around 2,600 contracts worth Rs 213 billion are ongoing under the Road Department. The work on the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel road expansion was started in 2079 BS. But now there is a lack of budget on this road. Due to which, the project stated that it is difficult to increase the speed of work. The risk of work being affected due to not receiving the budget as per the demand in the current fiscal year has increased.

The total distance of the road connecting the two districts of Bhaktapur and Kavre is 15.8 kilometers. Vehicles use this road to reach the eastern hills and Terai districts via BP Highway. Out of the budget of Rs 3 billion requested in the current fiscal year, only Rs 700 million has been allocated. Even though the amount has been spent after requesting an additional Rs 150 million, the project has stated that more is needed. 

While 98 percent of the work on the Nagdhunga-Sisnekhola tunnel has been completed, the work of selecting a service provider has not yet been completed. The work on the Siddhababa tunnel under construction in Palpa has also not been completed. 

While 98 percent of the work on the Nagdhunga-Sisnekhola tunnel has been completed, the work on selecting a service provider has not yet been completed. The work on the Siddhababa tunnel under construction in Palpa has also not been completed. Next Chait, it will be seven years since the work on the Narayangadh-Butwal road expansion began. But the work is not yet complete. The overall progress is 80 percent. Even though work has been completed elsewhere, the 14-km section of Daunne, which continues to cause the most problems, has not yet been resolved. After problems started to increase during the rainy season, 11 km of this section is being sloped using cement. The project has stated that the design is being reconsidered and a sloped road is being constructed at the request of the consultant and construction business as the initial design failed to assess the risk of the area. 

According to the contract agreement signed in Chaitra 2075, the work on this road section should have been completed by Shrawan 2079. However, citing COVID-19 and shortage of construction materials, the deadline was extended for the first time to 11 Shrawan 2080. But the work was not completed within that time either. The deadline was extended for the second time to 8 Shrawan 2081. But the work was not completed. The deadline was extended for the third time to Shrawan 2082, and after the work was not completed, the deadline has been extended for the fourth time to Asad 2083. 

The total distance of the road is 113 km. यसको दुई खण्ड गरेर ठेक्का रकम १६ अर्ब ९९ करोड ५२ लाख ९६ हजार रुपैयाँ छ । एसियाली विकास बैंक (एडीबी) को ऋण सहयोगमा नारायणगढ–बुटवल सडक विस्तार गरिएको हो । नागढुंगा–मुग्लिन, आँबुखैरेनी–पोखरा, कमला–ढल्केबर–पथलैया, बुटवल–गोरुसिंगे–चन्द्रौटा, काँकडभिट्टा–लौकही सडक विस्तारको काम थालिए पनि विद्युत्का पोल समयमै सार्न नसक्दा, खानेपानीको पाइप व्यवस्थापन गर्न नसक्दा, सडकमा पर्ने घर हटाउन नसक्दा, ईआईए स्वीकृत भएको ठाउँमा निर्माण सामग्री खोलाबाट निकाल्न नपाउँदा कामले गति लिन सकेको छैन । 

बाढीले सबैभन्दा बढी क्षति गरेको बीपी र कान्ति राजमार्गको पुनर्निर्माणको काम गर्न समयमै बजेट व्यवस्था नहुँदा यसले पनि गति लिन सकेको छैन । असोज २०८१ मा बाढीले क्षति गरे पनि नयाँ ठेक्का गर्न एक वर्ष बढी लाग्यो । ‘गेम चेन्जर’ आयोजनाका रूपमा रहेको काठमाडौं–तराई/मधेश द्रुतमार्ग (फास्ट ट्र्याक) को प्रगति पनि न्यून छ । 

यसको सुरु विन्दु ललितपुरस्थित खोकनाको ३.२ किलोमिटरको विवाद थाती राखेर बाँकी खण्डको काम थाल्ने भनिए पनि थप प्रक्रिया अघि बढ्न सकेको छैन । यसले यस क्षेत्रको विस्तृत परियोजना प्रतिवेदन (डीपीआर) संशोधन हुन सकेको छैन । मन्त्रिपरिषद्बाट डीपीआर संशोधन गरेर काम गर्ने निर्णय हुनासाथ काम थाल्न समस्या नहुने नेपाली सेनाको भनाइ छ । काठमाडौं–तराई–मधेश द्रुतमार्ग आयोजना कार्यालय भने अहिले मन्त्रिपरिषद्को निर्णय पर्खिएर बसेको छ ।

मन्त्रिपरिषद्ले २१ वैशाख २०७४ मा द्रुतमार्ग निर्माण व्यवस्थापनको जिम्मा सेनालाई दिने निर्णय गरेको थियो । पछि भौतिक पूर्वाधार तथा यातायात मन्त्रालयले २७ साउन २०७४ मा सेनालाई आयोजना हस्तान्तरण गरेको हो । त्यहीअनुसार सेनाको व्यवस्थापनमा यसको निर्माण भइरहेको छ । कुल दूरी ७०.९७७ किमिमध्ये सुरुङमार्गको दूरी मात्र १०.९०१ किमि पर्छ । त्यस्तै पुलको दूरी मात्र १२.८८५ किमि छ । सात वटा सुरुङ निर्माणाधीन छन् । खोकना–डुकुछाप खण्डलाई प्याकेज नम्बर ११ मा प्याकेजमा राखिएको छ । त्यस्तै ८ र ९ नम्बर प्याकेजलाई दुई भाग ८ ‘क’ र ‘ख’ र ९ ‘क’ र ‘ख’ छन् । म्याद चैत २०८३ सम्म छ भने भौतिक प्रगति ४६ प्रतिशत छ ।