Kathmandu, April 3
The government is preparing to extend the deadlines of over 2,000 ‘sick’ projects that are incomplete for decades.
With the 11th amendment to the Public Procurement Regulations, the government is preparing to extend deadlines given to the development projects that are incomplete despite completing the deadlines.
Previous to the amendment, extending the deadline of the project was a difficult task as the extended period could not be longer than half of the original project period. If the project demanded a longer period, a ministerial secretary would have to approve the proposal.
However, the 11th amendment has made the procedure so flexible that for a government agency now, extending the contract would be easier than cancelling it.
Ravi Singh, the president of the Federation of the Contractors’ Associations of Nepal, says the deadlines of around 2,000 should be extended, claiming, however, all the projects could be over within the next year.
If you visit any government agency that handles such development projects, you can see several contractors applying for the extension.
The government has given the time until April 13 to apply for an extension.
