Covid epidemic: 50 percent of construction work halted

KATHMANDU: MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 – Due to COVID-19, only 50 percent of the development work in Kathmandu Metropolitan City has been continued. Although KAMPA has started 105 small and big development works in the current fiscal year, only 50 works have been continued due to the second wave of corona epidemic which has spread all over the world.

“The country is in a state of stagnation to control the epidemic. There is no work other than urgent work. There is a shortage of required workers and construction materials and there is a problem in importing,” said Ram Thapa, chief of the physical infrastructure development department.

According to him, road blacktop, sewage management, street lighting and garden construction work in wards 2, 3, 6, 22 and 23 have been stopped. Similarly, there is little wood work left for the reconstruction of Kamalpokhari which has reached the final stage and it has been stopped for now as workers have to be brought from Bhaktapur, said Thapa. Similarly, some development works in other wards have been continued.

A budget of Rs. 3.95 billion was allocated for the physical infrastructure of the CPN (Maoist) for the current fiscal year. It is said that only 22 percent of the budget has been spent so far. Thapa said, “The time for spending the development budget is Chaith, Baisakh, Jestha and Ashad. At the same time, the Corona epidemic is raging, so no development expenditure has been incurred.” KAMPA had allocated Rs. 15.50 billion.