Addressing a review meeting on progress of 21 national pride projects at Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), he directed secretaries of line ministries and chief of projects to work sincerely and show results. PM Koirala said since investment climate has improved after Constituent Assembly election, development works need to be expedited.
PM Koirala also sought suggestions from government officials in attracting foreign investment and types of facilities to be offered to investors. Giving priority to energy sector, he underlined the need of attracting investment in hydro sector.
Similarly, ministries have been directed to maintain quality of construction works, take guarantee from contractors, make monitoring and evaluation effective and keep close watch on quality of works suffering during rainy reason. PM Koirala also directed for necessary decisions to be made regarding construction of regional and international airports on time and solve compensation dispute in Sikta Irrigation Project.
Based on the government target, Sikta Irrigation and Babai Irrigation Projects have to be completed by the current fiscal year. Sikta was started 11 years ago while Babai 26 years ago. Krishna Hari Baskota, secretary at PMO, made a presentation about progress of national pride projects under six ministries.
Upper Tamakoshi 456 MW is scheduled for completion within next three years, according to Baskota. Detailed Project Report (DPR), feasibility study, bidding document of 600 MW Budi Gandaki will be prepared within a year. Baskota underlined the need of permitting Chinese contractor Three Gorges Corporation that has shown interest in West Seti to begin construction and ensure smooth flow of resources for national priority highway projects.
Mid Hill Highway, Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track Road, East West Electric Railway, Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project, Second International Airport, Melamchi Drinking Water, Postal Highway, Chure Bhawar Programme and Lumbini Development Trust are some of the projects of national importance. The government has allocated around Rs 21 billion to national pride projects for this fiscal.
Tulasi Prasad Sitaula, secretary at Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport said progress of Mid-Hill Highway, railway work and bridge segment of Postal Highway was ‘good’. “But, we haven’t been able to achieve desired results in Kathmandu-Terai Fast Track road and road segment of Postal Highway,” he added.
http://thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Govt+exploring+alternative+models+for+%27fast+track%27+road+construction&NewsID=413318
No comments:
Post a Comment