However, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, who chaired the meeting, said development projects were suffering from other factors not just fuel shortage.
The meeting was organized by National Planning Commission (NPC) to address problems being faced by development projects which are in a situation of stagnation for the past three months. It took an 18-point decision. Surprisingly, no decision has been taken regarding prioritizing these projects in terms of fuel distribution.
This is probably the period in the history of Nepal that development works have come to a halt. Government figures show only 6.15 percent of Rs 208 billion allocated for development works has been spent over the first five and half months of the current fiscal year. The fiscal year, which has been declared the year of 'budget implementation', has seen budget implementation suffer the most due to Tarai unrest and Indian blockade.
NPC officials say NPC believes there are other reasons behind the delays in development projects. "We know fuel supply is a problem. But it should not be an excuse any more as diesel supply has largely improved and overall fuel supply is expected to return to normalcy soon," Tirtha Dhakal, joint secretary of monitoring division of NPC, said. "Our findings show project management has not completed tender bidding and preparatory works like arranging laborers which do not require fuel."
Though Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has sufficient diesel in stock, development projects have been saying that their works have been affected due to fuel shortage.
NPC Vice Chairman Yubaraj Khatiwada said the meeting did not focus on fuel shortage as the cabinet has already decided to provide fuel to development projects on priority basis. "Our focus was on why project managers are remaining idle without initiating works like bidding and arrangement of raw materials," added Khatiwada.
Hydropower projects are among the projects affected by fuel shortage and Indian blockade. Energy Secretary Suman Prasad Sharma said his ministry had forwarded a long list of projects to NOC, demanding fuel, weeks before. He, however, did not make any comment on why NPC did not put development projects in priority to distribute fuel.
"We have targeted to add 205 MW to the national grid this year by completing 21 hydropower projects development by private sector. But all of them are facing fuel crisis," complained Sharma.
Besides these projects, Chamelia (30 MW) and Kulekhani III (14 MW) are also expected to start generation this year.
Officials of Upper Tamakoshi Hydroelectric Project say need 12,000 liters of diesel every week. The project, however, is getting only half of it.
The 12-kilometer access road of the national pride project, which was damaged by the earthquake, has yet to be opened.
Similarly, Chamelia project has demanded 12,000 liters of diesel each for civil and electromechanical works. Likewise, Upper Trishuli 3A has sought 2,500 liters of diesel on a daily basis, while Kulekhani III project is in need of 13,000 liters of diesel per month, according to the officials of Ministry of Energy.
Independent power developers, too, have submitted the list of projects with the quantity of fuel required to the energy ministry. Upper Madi (25 MW) has said it needs 1,500 liter of diesel on a daily basis, while the quake-hit Upper Bhotekoshi, which is in process of restoration, is in need of 1,000 liters of diesel per day. Likewise, Upper Chaku (22.2 MW) needs 400 liters of diesel on a daily basis.
But the government has not bothered to supply necessary fuel to these projects.
Tunnel works of Melamchi Water Supply Project has also been affected due to lack of explosives in addition to fuel shortage. Though the government had planned to provide explosives to the project form Upper Tamakoshi Hydroelectric Project, it could not be possible, according to officials.
The NDAC meeting has entrusted Chief Secretary Som Lal Subedi with the task of studying the possibility of allowing development projects of national level to extract local raw materials from local quarries, which have been leased out to local contractors by the local bodies, and making necessary recommendations.
400 SUB-ENGINEER
POSITION VACANT
The NDAC meeting also focused on filling vacant posts in different government agencies for smooth service delivery as well as for accelerating development works.
"The post of secretary in 483 village development committees is lying vacant. Similarly, around 400 posts of sub-engineers in different agencies under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport are lying vacant," according to Dhakal.
Likewise, 90 posts in 33 division offices under Department of Cooperatives are vacant.
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