Kathmandu, May 17: The Office of Auditor General (OAG) has raised questions over the transformational projects launched in a bid to guarantee rapid economic growth and development to the people. Such projects recorded meagre progress, it exposed.
The government has run total 17 projects naming them ‘transformational projects’ among which five were of economic sector, four of social sector, seven of infrastructure sector, and one of democracy and good governance.
Among these, the overall physical progress of the Public School Strengthening Project and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Programme recorded 81 and 88 percent respectively.
The progress of the Galchhi-Trishuli-Mailung and Shyafrubesi Road Project achieved only 64 percent progress. It however had to be completed already. It has been long the construction began, but the works were repeatedly obstructed due to local residents, problems of land use in forest areas, tree felling and natural disasters.
The project was forwarded with an aim of building road infrastructure reaching the northern border, China, so that it would hugely facilitate expansion of trade and commerce. However, tardy progress has been a cause for concern. Even the natural disasters hit hard the project.
The Bheri Corridor 400 kV and Tamor Corridor 400 kV transmission line projects advanced under the National and International Transmission Line Programme are desperately waited for picking a pace. The physical progress of the Bheri Corridor transmission line is recorded at 12.3 percent, while the progress of the Tamor Corridor transmission line stands at 27.7 percent.
OAG raised question why such sluggish pace has plagued the Forest for Prosperity Programme, which was supposed to be completed in the fiscal year 2080/81. The project term was extended repeatedly.
The OAG report has revealed the list of other projects which have not been over like strengthening of land administration, expansion of health institution and service, enabling public school project, the technical and vocational education and training programme, and the President’s Women Empowerment Programme.
The government agencies are asked to make mid-term reviews of such projects. OAG also sought effective role of the National Planning Commission in monitoring these projects and resolving the problems in time. Various other measures are suggested by OAG to meet the timeframe of development projects.
