Lumbini state government's big and promising plans have been limited to announcements. With the change in the leadership of the government, even the plans that cost crores have been stalled due to lack of additional budget. Some plans have been lost without being implemented. In the first term of the Lumbini government, UML leader Shankar Pokharel became the chief minister for three and a half years and Maoist leader Kul Prasad KC for one and a half years. Among them, many of the plans put forward by Pokharel were implemented but could not be completed.

Some were not implemented. Maoist's KC, who served as the second chief minister for one and a half years, cut the budget of many schemes initiated by Pokharel. KC's tenure ended in controversy rather than plan implementation. 

In the first 5 years of the state assembly, more than 1 trillion 4 billion 78 million budget has been spent in Lumbini. However, none of the plans have been completed in the province. Implementation and naming of the permanent capital of the province, 72 bills passed and certified as laws and 30 regulations prepared are considered as major achievements by the Lumbini government.

The Pokharel-led government had announced that in the first policy and program and budget, 4 sub-metropolitan cities of the province would be mixed with other municipalities to form 3 metropolitan cities. Residents of the respective local levels were excited by the announcement of the merger of Butwal-Tilottama-Bhairawa, Ghorahi-Tulsipur and Nepalgunj-Kohalpur to form three metropolises. However, the government's plan was limited to announcements. Shivraj Subedi, the former head of Butwal sub-metropolitan city, said that the Lumbini government failed to declare it a metropolis.

Former Physical Infrastructure Development Minister of Lumbini, Baijnath Choudhary, said that after the Federal Government's Urban Development and Building Department started the study for the metropolis, the province withdrew its hands. "In the first year, the province allocated a budget of 50 million to study the matter of creating a metropolitan city," he said, "After spending some money, the federal government said that it would study by itself. When the resources of the province were low, we also said it was fine, but later the work did not proceed." In the first year's budget, 55 million was allocated for operating electric buses in Ruppandehi, Dang and Banke and for setting up charging stations. Similarly, there was a budget of 5 crores to operate the tourist bus. However, out of the 105 million, 275 million has been spent, those programs are now stalled. 

In 2076/77, the Lumbini state government started the construction of 'Smart Refresh Center' with state-of-the-art facilities at a cost of around 110 million at three locations on the East-West Highway. With the change in the leadership of the government, they have also been stuck after spending more than 7.5 million.

When Shankar Pokharel was the chief minister, construction of refresh centers was started at five places from Bardghat to Bardiya. The construction of a refresh center in an area of ​​about one bigha was started with the aim of reducing the accidents that may occur due to fatigue of long-distance drivers, providing quality facilities of food, refreshments and toilets along with the comfort of drivers and passengers.  The

center was planned to have toilet facilities, shower room, parking area, washing area, sitting area, path way, charging station, snack facility, driver room and park. Out of the five locations, construction did not start due to land dispute in Lamhi of Dang and lack of land in Bardia. However, more than 50 percent of the three locations are still standing. Construction of 5 Smart Refresh Centers was started at Bardghat in West Nawalparasi, Sainamaina in Rupandehi, Chandrauta in Kapilvastu, Lamhi in Dang and Bardia under East-West Highway. 

The refresh center is stuck due to lack of funds after spending 26.1 million on the construction of East-West Highway under Lumbini Province. Ghanshyam Gautam/Kantipur

Although the foundation stone was laid with the goal of building it within two years, the plan was not prioritized by the last government, but it was stuck due to lack of budget. 3 crore 18 lakh in Bardghat, 3 crore 55 lakh in Sainamaina in Rupandehi, 4 crore 2 lakh in Chandrauta. However, due to the payment of 23 million for Bardghat, 26.1 million for Sainamaina and 35.55 million for Chandrauta, the work has been stopped, said Gunanidhi Pokharel, spokesperson of the Ministry of Urban Development and Water Supply and Head of Water Supply Division. 

The tourist bus brought to operate in Lumbini has also been stuck for four years. Similarly, the government had announced to operate a monorail from Ramgram to Tilaurakot via Lumbini. That plan was not implemented. In the budget of 2075/76, a budget of 20 million was allocated to build a trauma center and a mobile hospital in the province and 25 million to build a food quality measurement laboratory.

As there is only one food quality measurement center in the entire province, consumers were excited about the plan to build another laboratory. However, that too was not implemented. Tej Prasad Pathak, President of Lumbini Consumer Welfare Protection Forum, said that there is still a need for a food quality laboratory in the state.

'Even now we are demanding a laboratory,' he said, 'but the previous and current governments are not listening to it.' It was announced to establish a senior citizen hospital and a women and children's hospital at a suitable location within the province. All these plans are limited to the budget statement, the outgoing member of the Provincial Planning Commission. Damodar Bhusal said. 

According to the ministry, although there is a budget allocation of 60 million to establish a pesticide residue testing laboratory, the work has not progressed. Nishan Bhattarai, a local, said that although a budget of 25 million has been allocated to build a multi-purpose botanical garden in Ghorahi, Dang, it has not worked. "The work of the multipurpose botanical garden did not start," he said, "the open theater built at a cost of 20 million in Ghordaura, Dang, is in ruins and has collapsed."

Maoist leader Kul Prasad KC got into controversy right from the beginning of the formation of the government after he was appointed as the Chief Minister on July 28, 2078. Criticism started after KC increased the provincial government, which Pokharel was operating in a 6-member cabinet, to 17 members. Most of the schemes launched by the Pokharel government were cut during his tenure. The budget was not allocated just by naming many schemes. KC transformed the Chief Minister Rural Development Program which was implemented by Pokharel into the Chief Minister Educational Reform Program.

After removing the staff working in the community and taking them to another title, the chief minister's educational reform program did not give any results as time ran out in the process of staff appointment, procedures and standards. Former member of the Provincial Planning Commission, Dr. Dr. Bhusal said. "It has been proven that it was not brought for the improvement of the people's living standards and effective implementation," he said, "The program costing more than 10 million annually was done without study for the benefit of party workers and teachers." 

He said that new and rewarding programs such as the establishment of a provincial bank and the establishment of organic fertilizer industry, which were brought forward in consultation with the Provincial Planning Commission, have also been shelved.

Even during the Chief Minister KC's time, budget was allocated for some citizen-oriented programs such as one industrial village in one constituency, establishment of a senior citizens' village in Sainamaina in Ruppandehi, one ward in one pond, skill institute with a laboratory in Pyuthan, but most of the work was not started. After KC, the provincial government was formed under the leadership of Leela Giri of UML as the second term in December 2079. The Giri-led government could not even come up with a budget and collapsed within three and a half months. 

Then Dilli Bahadur Chaudhary of Congress became the Chief Minister. The budget brought by him also cut the plan and budget brought by the KC-led government. He had put forward ambitious plans such as providing employment to 200 people a year in Lumbini province, processing the herbs of the province, producing and branding Mauva liquor. The Chief Minister himself had set aside a budget of 2 billion for programs such as employment of 200 people, branding of alcohol. However, after about 11 months, the Chaudhary-led government collapsed. Most of the plans that he put forward were also stuck without being implemented.

Refresh center stalled due to lack of funds after 23 million was spent on the bardghat of East-West Highway under Lumbini province. Photo: Ghanshyam Gautam/Kantipur

In March 2080, Jokh Bahadur Mahara of Maoist became the Chief Minister. Mahara, who became the Chief Minister for only 4 months, did not announce any new program. Chetnarayan Acharya of UML became the Chief Minister on July 7 after Mahara was in the minority after forming a Congress-UML alliance in the first week of last July. Acharya himself was the Minister of Economic Affairs and Planning of the state in the Mahara-led government. Chief Minister Acharya is now trying to implement some of the plans that came in the budget prepared by himself. However, he has prioritized the payment of last year's obligations by cutting more than 1,200 small schemes due to the fact that the government is in a deficit budget. 

He said that the big projects that were put forward by the previous government and which were considered important for the development of the province but were stalled will be prioritized in the next budget. "We are trying to implement some of the important plans that the government has put forward since 2075/76 in the next budget," he said. Manikar Karki, an economic analyst from Butwal, said that even though good and ambitious plans are announced after watching and listening to

, the programs carried out without ensuring the source of the budget will not be profitable. The previous term of the Lumbini state government ended in the same campaign. "There were no laws and policies, no resources and no budget," he said, "it is now clear that plans cannot be implemented without laws and resources."

President of Civil Society Rupandehi Iswari Prasad Chapagain said that the first term of the Lumbini government ended in controversy instead of good and effective work and the second term did not even bring the plan as expected.