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The Koshi Province government has struggled to deliver on major infrastructure projects, with only four projects costing more than Rs 100 million completed in the eight years since the provincial government was established.

According to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development, the completed projects are the Ghinaghat Biratchowk road and Budhabare road in Morang, the Serma Jaljale Bhandaridanda Isibu Sakaniti Athrai Medap road in Tehrathum, and the Turke Bridge Jhyaupokhari Yangpang Phalido road in Bhojpur.

Even the Ghinaghat Biratchowk road, which the ministry lists as completed, remains unfinished. The province began the project six years ago as a provincial pride project under then-Chief Minister Sherdhan Rai, with a three-year completion target. Yet some work remains in the Biratchowk section. The government has allocated Rs 10 million for the road in the current fiscal year.

Under the constitutional division of responsibilities, local governments are expected to handle smaller projects, provinces medium-sized projects and the federal government major projects. However, delays have affected projects at both the provincial and federal levels.

The ministry says 199 projects costing more than Rs 100 million are still under construction across Koshi Province. These include nine projects in Taplejung, 17 each in Panchthar and Ilam, 23 in Jhapa, 32 in Morang, 13 in Sunsari, five in Dhankuta, nine in Bhojpur, eight in Sankhuwasabha, six in Tehrathum, 11 in Udayapur, 12 in Khotang, 14 in Okhaldhunga and 22 in Solukhumbu.

Bridges over the Dudhkoshi River on the Udayapur Bhojpur border and the Tamor River on the Tehrathum Panchthar border are also under construction.

Delays in multi-year infrastructure projects have become a major problem in the province. Ministry Secretary Milan Acharya said contractors frequently fail to meet deadlines, seek extensions or even remain out of contact.

“Contractors take projects but do not work on time, do not apply for extensions and sometimes do not remain in contact. This has made it difficult to complete infrastructure projects within the deadline,” Acharya said.

The provincial government has begun identifying troubled projects for possible termination. Acharya said projects classified as problematic would be reviewed and action could be taken to cancel their contracts.

According to ministry information officer Lalit Kumar Chaudhary, 24 provincial projects are currently in poor condition, with many located in Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari.

The government plans to seek clear responses from contractors before deciding whether to continue or terminate the contracts. “Contractors must either resume construction or the government will terminate the contracts and award new ones,” Chaudhary said. He added that contracts could be cancelled if work does not resume within a month.

Since its establishment, the Koshi government has prioritised major projects in infrastructure, sports and tourism. However, implementation has remained slow, largely because of contractor related problems. The province also held an investment summit last year to attract investment in infrastructure and other sectors.

The summit showcased 71 major projects in agriculture, tourism and energy, with an estimated combined cost of Rs 173.49 billion. Several large hydropower and energy projects proposed at the summit are now in the implementation process.

The province is also working with the federal government on major sports and urban infrastructure projects, including the Biratnagar Indoor Stadium and Girija Prasad Koirala Cricket Stadium. Budget has been allocated for both projects this fiscal year, but progress remains limited despite years of discussion.

Other projects include the Koshi Refreshment Centre in Sunsari’s Koshi Rural Municipality, the Gauradaha Pokhari tourism project in Jhapa and four trekking routes aimed at promoting tourism.

Officials say large provincial projects face another problem: major contractors often hand over work to subcontractors after securing contracts, leading to further delays.

Chaudhary said contractors sometimes take projects and pass the work to others, then hold onto the projects without making progress. Smaller projects, however, have not faced the same level of problems.

By Binod Subedi