NEPALGUNJ, July 23: The Sikta Irrigation Project, one of the national pride projects, couldn’t spend even one fourth of the allocated budget for the fiscal year 2075/76 BS.
The government allocated a total of Rs 1.915 billion for the project in the fiscal year. However, the project could spend only Rs 1.474 billion during the year even as it spent Rs 454 million rupees in the last month of Ashadh (mid-June to mid-July) of the fiscal year alone.
Also, the district-based project overseeing a section of the Postal Highway Project from Nepalgunj to Katkuinya has failed to spend the money allocated for the project. The government allocated a total of Rs 967.62 million for the project for the Fiscal Year 2075/76 BS but it could spend only Rs 739.77 million by the end of the fiscal year.
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Of the total 21 national pride projects, the two projects – Sikta Irrigation and Postal Highway – are in operation also in Banke district. But both the projects have regularly failed to utilize the total annual budget allocated for these projects.
Stakeholders in the district alleged inefficiency of the officials, lack of proper government policies and plans for the failure to effectively execute the projects.
Krishna Prasad Shrestha, coordinator of the Committee of Citizens’ Concern for Development, said that such a situation raises questions about the efficiency of the officials and relevance of the government policies.
“There are so many projects that have failed to make progress due to lack of sufficient funds. But these national pride projects have failed even to spend the money allocated by the government,” said Shrestha.
He urged the authorities to revise impractical policies, if any, to expedite the projects.
“Not only the national pride projects but other projects also should be able to efficiently spend the allocated budget and accomplish the given tasks within the deadline,” he said.
