ITAHARI, July 21: As many as 54 development projects in Itahari are hanging in the balance after failing to meet the deadline of work completion by the end of Asar (July 15). Most of the projects, interestingly, have just begun, according to the concerned authorities.
According to the municipality officials, they could not meet the deadline despite expediting the works. However, locals allege that the authorities are only trying to hoodwink them.
“Even if they carry on such works, nobody is present there for monitoring. So, the contractors are not concerned about the quality of the work,” said a local hotelier Ashok Jaiswal. He added that starting work at the 11th hour and not meeting the deadline is actually the well preserved culture of the government.
Meanwhile, Jiwan Ghimire, an engineer at the sub metropolitan city, stated that the delay was due to the incessant rain. “Or else, many projects could have been completed on time,” he said. He added that some works related to digging of well, blacktopping of the road, construction of canals, among others, were affected by rain.
Ghimire informed that 15 percent of the total development cost in the sub metropolitan city has to be borne by the locals. “In some places, it was hard to collect money from the public. So, that too delayed the works,” he said.
The half completed projects have added to the woes of the people, according to Jaiswal. “Everything looks messy. The roads have turned to muddy fields. It is better not to start such works if that can't be finished on time,” he lamented.
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