Bagmati Province Government Approves Multi-Year Funding for 46 Infrastructure Projects

Hetauda. The Bagmati Province Government has provided multi-year designation and source assurance for 46 projects across various districts of the province. The provincial government has guaranteed multi-year funding and budgetary sources for the construction of roads, bridges, and suspension bridges.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning, through a ministerial decision made on Poush 30, approved the procurement master plan for these projects and sent the assurance letter for funding according to the 'Criteria Relating to Multi-Year Contract Agreement for Provincial Projects, 2082'.

Suraj Poudel, the information officer for the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development, confirmed that the Ministry of Finance consented to move forward with the multi-year contract process based on the proposal from the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development.

According to him, the approved projects include various strategic roads and bridges connecting local levels in Dolakha, Makwanpur, Dhading, Sindhuli, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchok, Chitwan, Kavre, Rasuwa, and Lalitpur. He stated that the budget ceiling for these projects has been set up to the next fiscal year 2085/86.

The 46 small and large bridge projects that received budget assurance include the Bhokari Sarakhet Suspension Bridge in Makwanpur, the Ghirtikhola Bridge in Dhading, the suspension bridge to be built over the Indravati River in Sindhupalchok, and the bridge connecting Bais Bhanjyang to Pangsaang in Rasuwa, among others.

The total estimated cost for the projects designated for multi-year status and source assurance is approximately NPR 3.233 billion. The cost estimation includes expenditures of NPR 1.7503 billion in the current fiscal year, NPR 1.9399 billion in the next fiscal year 2083/084, NPR 939.7 million in the fiscal year 2084/085, and NPR 179.8 million in the fiscal year 2085/086.

The multi-year status and source assurance for these 46 projects mandate that contracts must be awarded within the current fiscal year. It was specified that the source assurance will automatically expire if the procurement process is not initiated within the current fiscal year 2082/83.

The Ministry has stipulated conditions that priority will be given to projects where preparatory work such as DPR, land acquisition, and environmental impact assessment has been completed; the liabilities arising for subsequent fiscal years must be managed by the respective ministry within its own budget ceiling; and all projects must be mandatorily entered into the Budget Information System and the Computerized Government Accounting System.