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Kathmandu Wednesday March 28, 2001 Chaitra 15, 2057.
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Govt’s road link plans remain in
doldrums
Post Report
KATHMANDU, March 27 - The government in the 9th Five-Year
Plan had envisaged to link 12 isolated district headquarters with road, out of the 19 such
headquarters. However, almost four years have passed since the implementation on the Plan
began. And yet, road connection to only two headquarters has materialized.
Though accessible by road only during the winter season, the
new headquarters that made up the list include that of Ramechhap and Okhaldhunga
districts, according to the latest mid-term review report of the 9th Five Year Plan.
Prepared recently by the National Planning Commission (NPC), the report assessed the
overall performance in the first three years of the 9th Plan.
The government, with a view to alleviate poverty and to
reduce regional imbalances, had prioritized road construction in the 9th Plan. However, as
per the report, only the headquarters of Accham, Rukum, Bajura, Jajarkot and Bajhang
districts, are likely to be road-linked before the end of the 9th Plan that concludes in
2002.
Other districts, to which the government had visioned to
expand transportation network before the end of the 9th Plan, were Jumla, Darchula,
Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur and Kalikot.
If given high priority in the 10th Plan, road construction to
the headquarters of these districts would be completed in the beginning phases of the next
Plan, the report states. The report mentions that failure to achieve the target is mainly
due to the mismanagement and misallocation of funds. The government had planned to link up
the 12 remote headquarters by road in the 9th Plan and the remaining seven isolated
headquarters, including Humla, Mugu, Manang, Dolpa, Solokhumbu, Khotang and Mustang within
the 10th Plan.
In addition to the failure to link up the isolated
headquarters as per plan, many inter- and intra-district roads, the report mentions, have
not been completed so far due to insufficient budget allocation. Moreover, construction,
upgradation and maintenance of many national highways are unlikely to be completed within
the proposed period, the report says.
According to the report, Karnali Highway, which is to connect
Jumla and Surkhet, will be completed only in the 10th Plan. The cause of the delay has
been attributed to insufficient budget allocation and security problems.
Similarly, periodic maintenance of Mechi Highway, that links
Charali and Taplejung, is behind schedule. The periodic maintenance in the Sagarmatha
highway, joining Ghaighat and Dhikthel, is unlikely to be completed within the planned
period, the report says.
However, despite sluggish progress in Mahakali
(Baitadi-Dharchula) Highway, Bishweswor Prasad Koirala (Banepa-Sindhuli-Bardibas) Highway
and Rapti (Salyan-Musikot highways), the projects are expected to complete on time.
As a whole, actual allocation for the transportation sector
to carry out the different works was less than the budgeted amount, says the report. The
report has attributed delay in the release of Agriculture Program Loan as the chief cause.
Funds use in the first year of the Plan was only 83 per cent, while it came down to 69 per
cent and 76 per cent respectively.
For the effective use of the budget for development works,
the report finally has suggested to increase the proportion of the funds used for
constructing new roads by decreasing the funds allocated for maintenance purposes by a
proportionate amount. Presently, the ratio of funds allocated for maintenance purposes to
carry out new construction stands at 65:35.
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