By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel
The Butwal-Naraghat road upgrade project was started on March 24, 2019, amidst a big fanfare. As per the agreement, the project was supposed to be completed by August 2022. The project has been viewed as a national pride project, and it was expected to boost the local economy. Despite multiple extensions, the project still seems nowhere near completion. The pertinent question that arises at this moment is why we failed to hold the government accountable for its inability to complete any assignment—big or small—within the stipulated time.
Over the years, the Nepalese government, under the aegis of international organisations, has initiated several projects aimed at the welfare of the people. Be it the Melamchi water project or the Sikta water irrigation project, no project has met its given deadline, adding woes to the taxpayer's money. The government in the fiscal year 2012/13 declared 17 projects as national pride projects, and the number of such projects has increased to 21 in 2023. Of these 21 projects, the physical progress of very few is satisfactory.
Initiated in 2005-06, the Sikta water irrigation was supposed to be completed in 2014-15. Until January 2025, only 41% of progress has been achieved in 19 years since its induction began. The situation of the Kathmandu-Terai fast track is no different either. It has already missed several deadlines. There are several other such projects whose physical progress is very dismal. But we never held our government accountable, demanding a convincing explanation for its inability to translate its word into action. This is Nepal, and wrongdoers can easily get away.
The second international airport in Nijgad is another example reflects an unaccountable government. While the project was initiated in 1995, it was mired in controversy with lawsuits and environmental concerns. The media reports say that Rs 3 billion has already been spent on the project for land acquisition. But there is no sign of the project taking off. The Supreme Court in 2022 directed the government to proceed with the construction of the airport at a suitable location so that the environmental damage is minimised. But the construction of this project has been in limbo.
Across the globe, the government takes immense pride in national projects that bolster the economy of the country. It monitors the project very regularly and keeps a close tab on its progress. It acknowledges the taxpayers’ money and ensures that it is spent in an appropriate manner. Conversely, in Nepal, the government launched the project amidst big fanfare, giving the impression that the government will leave no stone unturned to complete it within the given deadline and budget. But it never assesses the progress, keeping a close tab on the project, signalling its unaccountability.
Accountability is something that we cannot expect from our politicians and other concerned stakeholders. Our politicians are ruthless, arrogant, myopic, and unaccountable. They are not bothered about any projects and their objectives. Their only interest is prolonging the project, as it will offer them a space to earn illegal money.
While the delay in completion of the projects badly affects the state coffers, the local people are equally hit worse by the project. For instance, people living along the Butwal-Naranghat road. Many locals living along the highway have been suffering from eyesores and respiratory ailments resulting from the unattended dust and waste resulting from delayed construction work.
During this scribe’s visit to Butwal, he interacted with co-passengers who boarded the bus from Naranghat. He said the pathetic condition of the Butwal-Naranghat highway is the result of the government’s road upgrade work. The government starts the work, but it leaves the upgradation of work at the mercy of contractors who are either below standard or deliberately prolong their work at the behest of politicians. Reason: if they prolong the work indefinitely, it will be a sort of milking cow for them. To say less, the work you do, the more you make. This is their mantra.
Now, they have given up the hope that they will ever see the completion of the work. Who should be held accountable for fuelling disenchantment among the people? I will leave it to the expert per standard to answer this question.
Just recently, the Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) was back in the news, and so was the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). The connecting rod was the breakage of the Melamchi water supply pipe. The ductile water supply pipe carrying water burst the other day. If the media reports are any guide, half a million litres of potable water flooded the busy main road. This is not the first, nor will it be the last time.
What is very strange is that KUKL is pointing its finger at NEA. According to KUKL, the system crashed due to the recklessness of the NEA. While the NEA has said that it is a baseless allegation, the people are caught in their fight. A simple coordination between NEA and KUKL could have averted the catastrophe that brought the traffic to a grinding halt, affecting the common people. This has been a perennial problem that continues to frustrate the common citizenry because it is them who have to bear the brunt irrespective of who may be responsible or whoever is at fault.
The inability of the government to finish the work within the given timeframe and budget clearly reflects unaccountability at its core. The projects are launched to lift people out of poverty as they create employment opportunities after their completion. But if the government is not accountable and does not own it, the completion of any project within the given timeframe and budget will always remain in limbo. Sadly, this is what has been happening in Nepal for a long time.