Construction work on 11 government buildings in Dhankuta, which were under contract, has been stalled after the structure of the implementing office was changed before the work was completed.

The Urban Development and Building Construction Office of Koshi Province, which was the contractor for the construction at that time, was merged with the Infrastructure Development Office from last Shrawan.

Even though the Urban Development and Building Construction Office was merged with the Infrastructure Development Office, the previous office did not include the budget and program in the current fiscal year to take ownership of the work started and move forward with the unfinished plan. Due to this, the remaining building construction work was in doubt, said Uttam Narayan Kharel, acting chief of the Infrastructure Development Office, Dhankuta.

The construction of buildings was started at various local levels in Dhankuta through the then Urban Development and Building Office of Koshi Province.

The construction work of the agricultural building in Sipting, the multipurpose building in Hill, the Madan Ashrit Memorial Foundation Library in Sirwani, and the community building in Belhara were taken forward. Similarly, the community building in Chaubise Rural Municipality, the cultural building in Shikharpur, the Kazimane Community Building in Chhatharjorpati Rural Municipality, the Chamu Shandaliya Sewa Samaj Bhavan in Mahalaxmi Municipality, the Kagune Community Building in Sahidbhumi Rural Municipality and the community building in Pakhribas Municipality are also under construction. But these buildings have been left incomplete, inadequate and abandoned.

Some of these buildings have been completed up to the seal level, some have DPC slopes, some have half the structure and some have 90 percent of the RCC structure. Acting Chief Kharel says that work including access roads, painting, toilets, electricity and sanitary connections are still pending in some buildings.

It is estimated that about Rs 250 million will be required to complete the remaining work of the 11 unfinished buildings. According to the office, due to the change in the office structure, the exact details of the investment made in the building earlier are not available. Kharel said that the necessary budget proposal has been submitted to the ministry. He said, 'These buildings can be put into operation at a very low cost, but there is no budget for that.' 

Locals complain that the work has been stalled as the new office has taken ownership of the old plans and has not included the necessary budget and program to complete the construction. Kagate Sipting Agricultural Building Construction Committee Chairwoman Phulmaya Rai said that 11 buildings that were contracted in the past but not completed were not included in the program even in the current fiscal year 2082/083. 'The construction work has been stalled due to the lack of budget and program,' she said, 'Now the work will be completed if the government supports it, otherwise it will remain incomplete.'

Ward Chairman of Dhankuta Municipality-3, Bikash Ghimire, says that the local level cannot do anything in projects started by the state and federal governments. He says, 'The work should not have been started, it should have been completed after it started, we can do nothing about it except coordination.'