There is a saying in English – ‘Ending is better than pending.’ That is, it is better to be finished than to remain in uncertainty. Such a situation opens the door to new endeavors and possibilities.

The process of terminating the contract agreements of road, irrigation and bridge projects across the country that have not made significant progress can be interpreted as an end to uncertainty and an opportunity to start anew. Development projects that were contracted years ago, whose completion period has already passed but whose deadlines have been extended, are actually symbols of corrupt and irresponsible governance.

Such projects are not giving the people enthusiasm, but rather apathy. The patience that those projects will be completed and they will benefit has also been broken. Therefore, the contract agreements should have been terminated and a new process started earlier. Although it is slow, the government has moved in that direction. This is positive.

At present, for the purpose of terminating the contract agreements, the concerned offices are issuing 15-day public notices to the concerned construction companies asking, 'Why not terminate the contracts?'. Notices have been issued to terminate 209 contract agreements, including 195 for roads, 6 for irrigation, 6 for suspension bridges and two for concrete bridges. The contracts to be terminated are worth several lakhs to crores.

The construction work of many of these projects should have been completed years ago. For example, only 48 percent progress has been made in the construction and improvement of the Gothatar road section, which was awarded the contract by Nayayug Nirman Sevas on 16 Falgun 2067 for Rs 3 lakh. According to the contract agreement, its work should have been completed on 30 Jestha 2068. A similar trend is seen in most projects in the country.

It has become common for small to large development projects to be completed on time. From small contractors to large foreign companies, from local level projects to national pride projects, the situation is the same. Work is rarely completed on the date that it should have been completed. Instead, the deadline is often extended for years.

This not only increases the cost, but also deprives the concerned parties from reaping the benefits that can be obtained if the construction is completed on time. The professional and commercial and employment prospects associated with some projects are also pushed aside. People are becoming increasingly frustrated. As an example, the Narayangadh-Butwal road section upgrade project can be taken.

The contract for this project, which was awarded on Chaitra 8, 2075, was supposed to be completed by Shrawan 22, 2079. But due to its failure, the deadline has had to be extended repeatedly. Citizens have also had to suffer. In some sections, dust and mud have made travel difficult when the sun shines and rain falls. Traffic jams have prolonged the travel time.

Not all the shortcomings may be on the part of the construction business alone. The government side may also have been weak in site clearance and payment. It is also found that locals have created a situation where the contractor cannot proceed with the work by putting unnecessary pressure on it. The government should also consider such aspects before terminating the contract. But there is also a tendency for the contractors to be politicians themselves or people who can use political and administrative access, to get contracts on that basis, and not to complete the construction on time under the guise of that power.

Shailung Construction, owned by Sharada Prasad Adhikari, known as the housewife of Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, is one of the companies that keeps most contracts incomplete in Kathmandu. It can be easily understood that such audacity was given to her by her political access. Union and provincial MPs and ministers are also contractors. They too have not been able to set an example by completing the work on time. In this way, the project of development and construction projects has become a center of chaos. Therefore, it was necessary to terminate contracts that have not made satisfactory progress. The current government has taken the initiative to create new hope for that.

The government should not consider terminating contracts as its success. It is necessary to terminate the contract agreements of projects that have not made satisfactory progress and have had to be extended due to the extension of the deadline, and it is also necessary to punish such contractors in a legal manner. But more importantly, construction should be ensured.

It is not appropriate to terminate the current contract but then delay the next contract in the same way. Since the current interim government is only a few months old, there is a fear that the projects will be further delayed. Therefore, while terminating the contract, it is the government's job to assure that the construction work will be completed soon. Such trust should not be verbal, but should be through law and procedure. 

In addition to not completing the project on time, the specified quality is not met. The scene of blacktops that were laid in late Ashar peeling off within a few weeks is seen every year. Some bridges have also been damaged in the process or are of such poor quality that they cannot be used even after the construction work is completed. Such work leads to misuse of the budget, and increases the cost as it also has to be spent on reconstruction. Managing the budget for the same project repeatedly leads to the reduction of opportunities elsewhere. Poor quality construction also puts people's lives at risk. Therefore, a strong system for completing the project on time and ensuring quality is indispensable.