Govt sign performance contracts with three irrigation projects

KATHMANDU, JAN 11 -

Amid complaints of slow pace in development projects, the government has begun enforcing performance contracts with chiefs of the national pride projects. The government has signed performance contracts with chiefs’ of three projects under Ministry of Irrigation: Sikta Irrigation Project , Ranijamara-Kulariya Irrigation Project and Babai Irrigation Project .

Irrigation Secretary Pratap Kumar Shah signed contracts with Abadesh Chandra Jha (project chief of Ranijamara Kulariya), Dilip Bahadur Karki (project chief of Sikta) and Maheswor Narsing KC (project chief of Babai). The contracts were signed as per the spirit of Immediate Governance and Economy Reform Action Plan 2012 that seeks to enforce similar contracts in all other national pride projects, including the Melamchin Drinking Water project.

Officials at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the performance contracts were signed to accelerate the project works by preventing all sorts of obstructions and meet the target set for the one-year period.

Krishna Hari Baskota, secretary at the PMO, said that the contracts were signed in a bid to make the projects’ chiefs responsible for the swift completion of the projects.

Each contract has set a detailed annual work plan with a target period for the project development. “The projects’ chiefs will be now responsible for taking the works ahead as per the calendar,” said Baskota, who also informed about a performance indicator that has been prepared to evaluate the performance of the chiefs.

Under these contracts, Irrigation Ministry officials said, the government would keep these projects away from financial and other problems. It also pledged to ensure strike-free environment at project sites. “Each project chief and other top officials of the projects have a government guarantee that they would not be transferred during the contract period,” said Kamal Prasad Regmi, spokesperson for the ministry. He also said that the ministry had been making effort to manage funds for these projects.

The Sikta project is expected to be completed within five years, while the Babai and Ranijamara projects are expected to be ready in one year and four years respectively.

Sikta irrigation plant, which has a capacity to irrigate some 35,000 hectares of land, has asked the government for Rs 1 billion to continue its work for this fiscal year. The project aims to complete the construction of 11km panel this year.

The Ranijamara-Kulariya project with a capacity to irrigate some 15,000 hectares of land needs Rs 1.50 billion for the current fiscal year. “The amount will be enough to conver about 90 percent of its head works,” said the official.

Similarly, the Babai project requires about Rs 250 million for the current fiscal year for panel expansion and improvement of water distribution works. It has a capacity to irrigate some 40,000 hectares of land.

Source: The Kathmandu Post