Koshi Province Government Allocates Budget for Small-Scale Projects Over Provincial Priorities

Biratnagar. The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development of the Koshi Province Government has seen a pile of petty schemes in the annual program brought for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84. The ministry has been found to be allocating budget for walls of temples, small culverts, and small infrastructures worth Rs 1 lakh, rather than provincial pride projects. The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure has selected more than 2,500 projects and programs for the upcoming fiscal year. Among these, the number of projects with a budget allocation of more than Rs 1 crore is around 350. For which approximately Rs 8 billion has been set aside. Similarly, the government has allocated an estimated Rs 10.5 crore budget for the implementation of about 450 plans with a budget of less than Rs 5 lakh, selected to please political access and cadres. Among the large and multi-year strategic projects allocated by the ministry are some important roads and bridges, for which the Infrastructure Development Office, Bhojpur has allocated Rs 35 crore 24 lakh for the Bhojpur Dingla road. Similarly, the Infrastructure Development Office, Tehrathum has also allocated a budget of Rs 35 crore 84 lakh for the road connecting Sankranti Bazar to Khamlalung via Bhandarida. Similarly, the Infrastructure Development Office, Okhaldhunga has allocated Rs 11 crore 75 lakh and Rs 11 crore 70 lakh for the Ramailo Dada Rumjatar road and Likhu Khijifalate Bhusing road respectively. The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality connecting road (Sagarmatha Marg) including blacktopping, which is included under the Project Implementation Unit Solukhumbu of the Rural Road Network Improvement Project, has been allocated a budget of Rs 18 crore. Similarly, for the blacktopping of the Dudhkoshi Bridge – Chuhar (Hasanpur) – Phalam Dunga – Goretu road in Bhojpur under the same project Morang, Rs 16 crore 39 lakh 50 thousand has been allocated. Similarly, Rs 15 crore 97 lakh 40 thousand has been allocated for the Kesaliya Corridor Construction Plan, Morang-Sunsari (Second Section) under the Infrastructure Development Office, Sunsari. Fourth, Rs 14 crore has been allocated for the Khani Danda Airport to Yakha Ratmata via Paschimi Thamkharka road under the Infrastructure Development Office, Khotang. The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development, Morang itself has allocated Rs 10 crore for the purchase of a bell bridge. However, along with these large strategic infrastructures, there is a long queue of petty projects with a budget of less than Rs 5 lakh in the ministry's budget book. The provincial government has allocated budgets for schemes that even ward members of local levels can get done through consumer committees, such as the construction of monasteries, temples, and small culverts. The Infrastructure Development Office, Okhaldhunga has allocated a budget of Rs 4 lakh 50 thousand for the construction of the Haladevi Temple, Champadevi-1. The Infrastructure Development Office, Morang has allocated a budget of Rs 4 lakh for the construction of a community building for the Shri Radhakrishna Temple Committee, Paitanki, Biratnagar. The Infrastructure Development Office, Solukhumbu has allocated a budget of Rs 1 lakh for the Ghekhola Suspension Bridge, Thulung Dudhkoshi-5. The same office has allocated a budget of Rs 1 lakh for the Chhupukhola Causeway Construction, Thulung Dudhkoshi-4. The idea of constructing a suspension bridge or a temple building for Rs 1 lakh or Rs 4 lakh is itself ridiculous and impractical. The government has prepared the budget by including small schemes, contrary to the criteria set for the classification and prioritization of projects by the Koshi Province 'Project Classification, Basis and Criteria Determination and Project Bank Management Procedure, 2082'. The criteria stipulate that road and bridge projects must have a minimum cost of Rs 1 crore, while physical infrastructure projects such as suspension bridges, irrigation, education, health, sports, and drinking water must have a minimum cost of Rs 25 lakh. However, the procedure has not been followed in budget preparation. Previously, the government had even trained the parliamentarians not to recommend fragmented projects, stating that the project bank related procedures would be followed.