The bad news is the order of the day in Nepal. One such to come by – certainly not the only one – is that the Department of Roads has yet to start restoration of the five major highways damaged by the massive rains in September 2024. According to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, they require a sum of Rs 20 billion for, what they call, "permanent reconstruction" of the fully destroyed sections of the roads. That ministry's spokesperson has gone on the record saying that the Ministry of Finance has not allocated the required funds thus far. Needless-to-say, the Physical Infrastructure and Transport Ministry has not initiated any process for the reconstruction of the roads, because the ministry does not have the money. Who has the money, or who could possibly have the money then? Of course, while the obvious answer is the Ministry of Finance, the reality is bizarre. The Finance Ministry does not appear to have the funds either. That's probably why the Finance Ministry has not appropriated any amount as on date. The Ministry of Finance, according to its spokesperson, is working to secure the funds. Securing the required funds is a work in progress. Hopefully.
As things stand today, the technical teams from the Department of Roads have conducted temporary repairs in the damaged sections to keep the roads operational by creating makeshift diversions. They have used locally available resources such as gravel, hume pipes, Bailey bridges, and soil filling as an immediate solution to ensure vehicular movements. Severe traffic disruptions may only be anticipated during the upcoming monsoon season this year. The rains have caused the most damage to the BP Highway. Similarly, sections of the Kanti, Araniko, Mechi, and Mid-Hill highways have also been damaged severely. The bridge over the Hewa Khola on the Mechi Highway has collapsed, as well. The Department of Roads has not yet called for tenders to rebuild the collapsed bridge. The Ministry of Finance has not provided the necessary funds, and the work has not started. Even worse, if the concerned departments are not to invite tenders within mid-February they will not be able to start the reconstruction work before this monsoon season. Even if the tenders are opened now, it will take at least three months before the work actually begins. It will already be pre-monsoon then.
The irony of the situation is that we have the most powerful government at the helm of affairs, composed of the country's two principal political parties: Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML). Together, they command a near two-thirds majority in the 275 member House of Representatives, and the government is led by one of the most experienced politicians, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. This government took office in July 2024. The floods swept away roads and bridges in late September. It has roughly been six months since the devastation caused mainly by the three days of record rainfall on September 27, 28 and 29th. This year's monsoon is only several months away; and here we are: repenting that no concrete actions are being taken to restore the roads and bridges damaged six months ago. Should the current state of affairs continue – we may be fairly sure, it will most likely be the case – the monsoon this year round will wreak a lot more havoc than the monsoon in the previous years did. That there is no money in the state coffers is not an answer. The responsibility of the government lies not just in acknowledging the problem, but in giving a solution: Release required funds and restore the roads and bridges along the highways.