Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Kulman Ghising has said that construction contractors will be required to pay penalties if they delay road repair works. He warned that if projects are not completed on time, penalties will be imposed and, if necessary, contracts may even be cancelled.
Addressing the 23rd anniversary ceremony of the Road Board Nepal on Tuesday, Minister Ghising said the government will no longer tolerate contractors who fail to complete road construction and maintenance within the stipulated time frame.
“We have already cancelled the contracts of some construction companies that took projects at low bids but failed to complete the work on time and repeatedly caused delays. This is not the government’s desire but a compulsion. From now on, delays in road maintenance will invite penalties,” he said.
Ghising noted that although there are a large number of roads across the country in need of repair, limited budget resources have made it impossible to carry out maintenance work on all roads in a timely manner. “There is continuous demand for road maintenance from the federal, provincial, and local levels, but budget constraints mean we cannot address all demands immediately,” he added.
Speaking at the same program, Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Keshav Kumar Sharma clarified that road construction alone is not an indicator of development. He stressed that development remains incomplete unless roads are usable, saying, “Development does not mean just building roads. Vehicles must be able to operate smoothly on them. Timely repair of damaged roads is today’s greatest necessity.”
Road Board Nepal’s Executive Director Ganesh Bahadur KC highlighted that failure to carry out timely maintenance can increase road repair costs by three to four times.
Similarly, Director General of the Department of Roads Dr. Vijay Jaisi described roads as the backbone of development and emphasized the need for adequate budget allocation and timely maintenance.
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