Kathmandu, June 23: The Nepal Pavilion, which is under construction at the World Universal Expo 2025 (World Exhibition) in Osaka, Japan, is not built on time, the country's international image is in crisis. Stalls of other countries have come into operation in the exhibition which started two months ago, but the lock is still hanging in the Nepal pavilion.

The pavilion, which was supposed to have come into operation after the construction was completed before the exhibition, is still pending. The Japanese media, including NHK TV, Asahi Shimbun, and Smart News, are criticizing Nepal for not opening the pavilion.

Out of the project cost of about Rs 45 crore, Rs 38 crore has been paid, but the work is incomplete. According to the organizers, more than 282 million visitors are expected to attend the exhibition with the participation of 158 countries. Due to the lack of timely preparation for the Nepal Pavilion, Nepali art, culture, tourism, and production have not been displayed.

According to the Nepal side, 90% of the construction work of the pavilion has been completed. Sharad Bikram Rana, executive director and deputy commissioner of the Trade and Export Promotion Center, said that the remaining 6/7 crore is yet to be paid. However, the work has been stalled due to a dispute between Nepali and Japanese contractors.

The responsibility of the Nepal Pavilion was given to the joint venture (J/V) of Bidh Management P. Ltd. and Lalit Mandap Art & Architect P. Ltd. The J/V was delivered to the Japanese company Sanko, which began work in August 2024. Due to the dispute with the Nepali side, the work of Sanko has been halted.

According to sources, the problem has been caused by the selection of a company in the tender without experience. The "World Exhibition Procedure 2062," issued by the Trade and Export Promotion Center under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, is said to have caused the problem as the contract was arranged for the company to accept royalties in excess of technical points.

This process has kept the experienced company, which has represented Nepal in previous expos, out of the competition. According to experts, "Nepal's situation is bleak of being the same in the 2030 Expo to be held in Saudi Arabia."

The Nepal Pavilion was built in the traditional Nepali style on an area of 900 square meters. Once completed, visitors would be able to see the culture, heritage, tourism and products of Nepal, which had the potential to expand the international market of Nepali goods.

The contractor has taken a stand not to work until the remaining amount is paid, while the government side is in a position to pay only according to the agreement. This debate is not going to move forward.

Bipin Acharya, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Commissioner General of the Osaka Expo, and Nepali Ambassador to Japan Durga Bahadur Subedi also aware that the payment dispute was the main reason for the work stoppage.

However, stakeholders have expressed serious concern that the government body has not taken any action so far against the company that did not build the pavilion in time. According to the agreement, the government is keeping silent even if the company that does not complete the work should be blacklisted.

Artha Dabali/People’s News Monitoring Service.