KATHMANDU, Nov 22: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has raised concerns about the status of national pride projects. In response, a briefing has been scheduled today to update him on the progress and challenges these projects are facing.
According to the Prime Minister's Secretariat, the briefing will take place at 3:00 PM today at the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers' Office in Singha Durbar.
At present, the progress of national pride projects has been disappointingly unsatisfactory. Most of the projects are encountering significant issues, and due to a lack of inter-governmental coordination, they have failed to meet their original deadlines.
Expedite national pride projects
The government's 15th periodic plan, aimed at completing national pride projects, has been 82 percent unsuccessful. The plan, covering the period from 2019/20 to 2023/24, had set a target to finish 17 projects, but only three have been completed—just 18 percent of the goal.
In response to this, the Prime Minister's Office has established an "Action Room" equipped with modern technology to monitor the progress of key projects directly. The Prime Minister will be able to use this facility to conduct live monitoring of project sites and engage in real-time discussions with the Chief Ministers of provinces.
Among the national pride projects, the detailed project reports (DPR) for the West Seti and Seti River-6 (SR6) hydropower projects have been submitted by the Indian company NHPC Limited to the Investment Board. However, work on the Kathmandu Metro and Nijgadh International Airport has yet to commence.
As the government has failed to address the underlying issues, the focus has primarily been on extending project deadlines. This has led to deteriorating project structures, while costs have been rising at a high rate.
