Contractors to be penalized for delayed road maintenance: Minister Ghising
Minister Ghising said the government will strictly enforce penalty provisions against contractors who delay projects beyond the stipulated deadlines. He added that contracts may even be cancelled if necessary.
KATHMANDU: Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Kulman Ghising has warned that construction contractors will be required to pay penalties if they fail to complete road construction and maintenance works on time.
Speaking at the 23rd anniversary ceremony of the Road Board Nepal on Tuesday, Minister Ghising said the government will strictly enforce penalty provisions against contractors who delay projects beyond the stipulated deadlines. He added that contracts may even be cancelled if necessary.
“The government will no longer be tolerant of contractors who take projects at low bids and repeatedly fail to deliver on time,” Ghising said. “We have already cancelled several such contracts. This is not out of choice, but out of compulsion. Delays in road maintenance will now lead to penalties.”
The minister acknowledged that although the number of roads requiring improvement across the country is very high, limited budget resources have made it impossible to carry out timely maintenance everywhere. “There are continuous demands for road maintenance from federal, provincial and local levels,” he said, “but due to budget constraints, we are unable to address all demands immediately.”
At the same event, Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Keshav Kumar Sharma stressed that road construction alone should not be seen as a measure of development. “Development is not just about building roads,” he said. “If vehicles cannot move smoothly on those roads, development remains incomplete. Timely maintenance of damaged roads is today’s most pressing need.”
Executive Director of Road Board Nepal Ganesh Bahadur KC highlighted that failure to carry out maintenance on time can increase road rehabilitation costs by three to four times.
Similarly, Director General of the Department of Roads Dr Vijay Jaisi described roads as the backbone of national development and emphasized the need for adequate budget allocation to ensure timely maintenance and sustainability of road infrastructure.
