Fuel crisis hits infrastructure projects

Many of the government-run infrastructure projects that had just resumed works after devastating earthquake, also had to brave monsoon, before they have been stumbled upon by the current 'unforeseen' crisis. Tunnel works in the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MSWP) had just resumed in the last week of September after monsoon receded, but the tunnel works has been in a complete halt due to fuel crisis, said Ghanashyam Bhattarai, Executive Director of MWSP. "The project's work had been completely shut down for over 70 days after the earthquake." Likewise, preparation was underway at the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project (UTHP) -- after monsoon receded -- to strengthen the road badly damaged by the earthquake of April and aftershocks. The project of 456 MW would be the largest one to be connected in the national grid but it will face a delay of a minimum of over six months. "We have now stumbled on fuel crisis and there is no mobility of the workers to site, though we were planning to resume works at least for a couple of weeks before Dashain festival begins," said Bigyan Shrestha, chief of UTHP. All the development works are expedited only after monsoon before festivals like Dashain and Tihar begins. Protests in the Tarai over 50 days have also had indirect impact on developmental projects as supply of the construction materials of cement and steels are produced by the factories in Tarai and their production has been affected in one or the other way. Upper Madi, Kulekhani, Trishuli 3A are some of the hydropower projects affected by the fuel crisis. Likewise, works in the road projects are also hit hard by the fuel crisis. Spokesperson of Department of Road Umesh Jha said that all the projects including small and large are equally hit by fuel crisis and are in complete halt. "Protests in Tarai had had slow effect in fuel supply and so was in the supply system," said Jha adding that it can take about two weeks to come into normal. Former finance secretary Rameshwore Khanal said that the fuel crisis will have serious impact in the project development if the crisis continues further. "Government's spending in the infrastructure projects has a large share in the contribution of national Gross Domestic Production," said Khanal indicating the impact in the country's economy. "Effects are already visible in transportation sector, retail, tourism services," added Khanal.