Kathmandu, September 23 – Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and Urban Development, Kulman Ghising, has said that the contracts of the national pride projects — the Sunkoshi Marin and Bheri Babai multipurpose projects — cannot be left as they are.
On Tuesday, at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Minister Ghising held discussions with the ministry’s secretary, the Director General of the Department of Irrigation, the heads of both projects, consultants, and contractors. He stated that there is no alternative but to terminate the contracts and move the projects forward afresh.
After the unusual delays observed in the construction of both projects, Minister Ghising engaged all stakeholders in dialogue. He stressed that the abnormal delays in projects aimed at providing irrigation to the Terai region, boosting agricultural productivity, and contributing to the national economy were causing the country to lose the expected benefits. He urged all concerned parties to take the matter seriously.
“It seems that one party is busy blaming the other, while contractors are looking for loopholes, and the project itself is fostering such an environment. How can construction move forward in such a situation? The state has already invested billions of rupees, and if we calculate only the interest, it amounts to billions more. In such circumstances, what happened to the financial analysis carried out when the project was initiated, and what is the current state of the expected returns?” he warned.
“The tunnels of both projects have already been completed, but the projects remain stranded due to the failure to construct the dam, powerhouse, and other structures. There is an acute shortage of water for irrigation in the Terai/Madhes. Under such conditions, the projects cannot function. If the contractors had been active, the work would already have been completed, but no genuine intent to work is visible. Therefore, there is no justification for extending the deadline — let us terminate all contracts and move forward,” he added.
The Bheri Babai project’s tunnel was completed in September 2020. For the construction of the dam and powerhouse, a contract agreement was signed in July 2019 with Gangdong Yutian–Raman JV. The project has achieved 57 percent physical progress. Meanwhile, the Sunkoshi Marin project — covering the dam, powerhouse, and related structures — has made only 10 percent progress, despite nearly 60 percent of the contract period already having passed. The contractor for this project is Patel–Raman JV.
