PM’s directives for expediting development and reconstruction

KATHMANDU, Jan 5: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has instructed the government ministers, secretaries and agencies concerned to speed up the development and the post-earthquake reconstruction works.

Addressing the 41st meeting of the National Planning Commission (NPC), national development problems resolution committee, in the capital on Friday, he stressed that the development construction works which were stopped due to the elections should now be expedited along with the implementation of the federalism.

The Prime Minister stated that the conclusion of all the three tiers elections in course of constitution implementation was a matter of happiness and an work of achievement, urging the central bodies of the government to support in the works to be carried out by the province governments that will be formed in a couple of months.

Describing the decision of giving the responsibility of constructing the Kathmandu-Tarai fast track to the Nepalese Army and of constructing the Budhigandaki Hydroelectricity Project with domestic capital as the achievements during his premiership, PM Deuba directed the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport to complete the road expansion works on the Muglin-Narayangadh section at the earliest.

The meeting held discussions focusing on the presentation by NPC vice-chairman Dr Swarnim Wagle on the overall progress of the projects and the budgetary expenditure of the first quarter of the current fiscal year.

Participating in the discussions, various ministers suggested for increased level of inter-ministry coordination, the shortfall amount for the projects should be released and putting an end to the bureaucratic red tape and irresponsibility.

Similarly, suggestions such as speeding up the works of the projects of national pride, determining the modality of distributing the benefits of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project to the locals, appointing the project director of the Gautam Buddha International Airport project and supplying electricity to the Special Economic Zone on a regular basis, were also given on the occasion.

Finance Minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki pointed out that the development would not pick up momentum despite the change in the political system unless the tendency of the ministries putting on hold a single file related to a project for months continued.

He also mentioned about the problem in resource management due to the tendency of asking for budget with the Finance Ministry on headings other than the stipulated heading while not spending the budget allocated to the specific heading.

Minister Karki also urged the ministries concerned to extend cooperation to the local levels in their assigned jurisdictions.

NPC vice-chairman Dr Wagle also stressed that development-related works would take up speed if the mutual coordination was extended. RSS