Road Division Office Jumla Initiates Process to Terminate 16 Sick Contracts on Karnali Highway

Jumla. The Road Division Office in Jumla has started the process to simultaneously terminate 16 sick contracts for road construction on the Karnali Highway, which have been left incomplete for years after the contract agreements were made. The office has published a public notice of 15 days regarding the termination of contracts for those projects operating in Kalikot, Jumla, and Mugu districts, as they have not completed the work on time.

According to Saurav Kumar Singh, Information Officer at the Road Division Office, the process to terminate 16 sick contracts—12 in Kalikot, three in Jumla, and one in Mugu district—which were contracted between the fiscal years 2074/75 and 2082/83, has been initiated. Singh stated that the office has taken this step to end the trend of contractors taking contracts but not working and leaving projects incomplete.

Shraban Kumar Mahatara, Chief of the Road Division Office, said that the process to cancel the contracts has been initiated in accordance with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, as the construction entrepreneurs have shown no interest despite repeated written and verbal requests and notifications to complete the work on various dates.

As per the law, the office is preparing to terminate the contract agreements, blacklist the concerned construction companies, confiscate the performance bond and deposit amounts, and recover 10 percent interest on the advance payment. Furthermore, Chief Mahatara clarified that action will be taken to recover the expenses for the remaining work on those projects, similar to government arrears. The Road Division Office has stated that it has previously terminated the contracts of 10 sick road projects on the Karnali Highway that were left incomplete.