National Pride Projects: Project chiefs made to sign performance contracts
KATHMANDU, SEP 26 -
Government ministries have signed performance contracts with the project chiefs of about a dozen national pride projects to ensure that they are executed well. As per the contract, the project chiefs are required to complete the fixed responsibilities within the current fiscal year.
The concerned ministries signed the contracts after the Finance Ministry asked them to do so with the chiefs of 19 out of the 21 national pride projects. The budget for the current fiscal year has also mentioned signing performance contracts between the project chiefs and the secretaries of the ministries.
The ministries of Physical Infrastructure and Tourism and Civil Aviation have signed performance contracts with the chiefs of five national pride projects each.
The Physical Infrastructure Ministry has signed these agreements with the project chiefs of the North-South Highway, Mid-Hill Highway, Postal Road and Fast Track projects and the director general of the Railway Department. “We have sent the details of the contracts of four projects to the Finance Ministry. The performance contract with the chief of the Fast Track Project was signed on Wednesday,” said Tulasi Prasad Sitaula, secretary at the Physical Infrastructure Ministry.
Meanwhile, the Tourism Ministry has signed performance contracts with the chiefs of the Lumbini Development Trust, Gautam Buddha Regional International Airport, Pokhara Regional International Airport, Tribhuvan International Airport Expansion and Pashupati Area Development Trust.
Finance Ministry Spokesperson Ram Sharan Pudashaini said that they had heard about the signing of performance contracts at two other projects, but no details were available. His ministry has been checking whether the ministries have signed performance contracts with the chiefs of national pride projects.
As per the contract, Gopal Prasad Sigdel, chief of the North-South Highway Project has been assigned to complete 20 km of track opening of the Kishi Highway, 12 km of the Kali Gandaki Highway and 12 km of the Karnali Highway.
Surya Bahadur Bhat, chief of Mid-Hill Highway Project for the eastern part, has been assigned to expand 10 km of roads, gravel 14 km of roads, lay the foundation for 11 bridges and blacktop 34 km of roads and repair 221 km roads this year.
Chief of the western part of the Mid-Hill Highway Project is Bal Ram Misra. He will have to complete 5 km of track opening, lay the foundation for 14 bridges, blacktop 5 km and repair 400 km within a year.
Likewise, Postal Road Project Chief Bijendra Bade Shrestha will have to award the contracts for 14 bridges, prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) for 10 bridges and continue the ongoing construction of 53 bridges. Out of the under construction bridges, 20 will have to be completed, according to the contract.
In the case of the Railway Department, its director general Yogendra Kumar Rai will have to prepare the DPRs and design different sections of the proposed 945-km-long electric railway. The DPRs and design work of the Bardibas-Simara, Simara-Birgunj, Simiriya-Tamsariya, Tamsariya-Butwal and Butwal-Gaddhachauki sections of the proposed railway should be completed as per the contract.
Since no potential investor has submitted requests for proposals to build the Fast Track Project, its chief has been assigned to carry out the decision of the government with regard to the next step. Secretary Sitaula said they would probably reach a decision on the alternatives
next week.
Meanwhile, Lumbini Development Trust Vice-Chairman Karma Sangmo Sherpa has been assigned to construct an administrative building as per the Lumbini Master Plan, security wall and symbolic pavilion. Murari Bhandari, chief of Gautam Buddha Airport Project, will have to select a contractor for the civil works and compensate the people for the land acquired and prepare bid documents for equipment installation.
Pokhara Regional International Airport chief Suman Kumar Shrestha has been assigned to conclude the tender process by holding a dialogue with the Chinese contractor.
Member-Secretary of the Pashupati Area Development Trust Govinda Tandan will have to acquire the land and properties within the area fixed by the master plan and provide compensation to the property owners. Finishing construction of an electric crematorium and starting its operation is another task that has been assigned to him as per the contract.
Government officials said that signing performance contracts was a step towards making the project chiefs responsible for what happens to the projects. Sitaula said that the project chiefs would be evaluated on the basis of their performance as per the contract. “Those failing to perform will be relegated to minor roles in the future,” he added.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
