The work of the under-construction Gautam Buddha International Cricket Stadium in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-15, Chitwan, has been halted.

The construction company Himalayan Kalinchowk BBR JV has sent a letter to the Bharatpur Metropolitan City, citing non-payment of the budget, and has stopped the construction work of the stadium from April 15. The construction company has stated that the construction work was forced to stop due to no response despite sending repeated letters for payment.

Praveen Chhetri, the project manager of the stadium, said that despite the high price increase in construction materials, shortage of construction materials, and transportation problems, 13 percent of the work was done without payment and that the work was stopped because it was not possible to proceed due to payment. “We sent a letter 10 days before the construction work was halted, but we were forced to stop the work after the payment was not received,” said Project Manager Chhetri.

The construction company had sent a letter to Bharatpur Metropolitan City on Chaitra 30 stating that the stadium construction work was continuing despite various problems and that the work could not be completed unless payment was made. But the work was stopped after the payment was not made during that period.

Samrat Silwal, the accounting chief of the construction company Himalayan Kalinchowk BBR JV, informed that Rs 100 million is yet to be paid for the construction of the stadium for 5 months since Pus. According to him, the metropolis was demanded to pay IPC-5 on Pus 6 and IPC-6 on Falgun 10 for payment. Accounts chief Silwal informed that the work was stopped after the metropolis was not paid even after registering letters for payment four times on Pus 28, Magh 22, Chaitra 1 and Chaitra 30.

The construction company suspects that if the budget is stopped now, the stadium's resources will not be assured next year, and all work will be stopped. Bharatpur Metropolitan City has been urging the Bagmati Province government to pay the outstanding amount for the stadium. Santosh Acharya, Senior Division Engineer of the metropolis, said that the amount will be paid by the Bagmati Province government by Monday. ‘We were in constant coordination with the provincial government, and we have received information that the outstanding amount will be paid on Monday,’ Acharya said.

Bharatpur Metropolitan City and the Bagmati Province government have also reached an agreement on Baisakh 22 to share the proceeds. According to which, the provincial government will get 40 percent of the income from the stadium and Bharatpur Metropolitan City will get 60 percent, said Acharya, Senior Division Engineer of the metropolis.

Only after this agreement has the Bagmati Province government been ready to pay the outstanding amount. The work has been stopped due to the lack of this agreement as it is mentioned in the provincial policy that investment can be made after the proceeds are shared.
According to Acharya, Senior Division Engineer of the Metropolitan City, the provincial government is preparing to allocate the remaining Rs 300 million budget as per the agreement in the coming fiscal year. Therefore, Acharya says that the stadium work will be completed.

So far, underground electricity cables have been laid in the stadium, and electrical work has been completed in both VIP towers. The generator required for electricity has also arrived at the stadium. All the pipes of the drain system have arrived on the field, and preparations are underway to install them. Work on three blocks towards the parapet has been completed, while the slope of one block is left. All the physical structures of VIP Tower One have been constructed, and only the finishing work on the truss and interior remains.