Paltry budget likely to thwart 120 motor-bridges

Bishnu Prasad Aryal
Kathmandu, March 4

The government’s plan to construct some 300 motorable bridges in the country within six years will be impossible unless an additional budget is allocated annually for the purpose.

According to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works (MoPPW), about 200 motorable bridges are under construction while building of 100 more such bridges will be launched within the current fiscal year. The construction of launched bridges should be completed within six years of its initiation.

“If the government allocates budget in the present ratio for the bridges, the construction of only about 180 bridges will be completed within the six years,” said Tulasi Prasad Sitaula, joint-secretary at the MoPPW. “Rs 1.75 billion is flatly allocated every year,” he told this daily. “Rs 10 billion is necessary to accomplish the bridge construction.”

Sitaula said the ministry has demanded additional Rs 750 million for the current fiscal year aiming at constructing 71 bridges. “Only 30 bridges will be built this year from the allocated budget,” he said. “Otherwise, the incomplete bridges will remain incomplete for ever,” he warned.

Along with the construction of roads across the nation, the inevitability of bridge construction is on rise. There are 18,000km of roads throughout the country. Of them, 9,000km of road falls under the MoPPW while the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) has been handling the remaining portion of roads.

Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, spokesperson for the MoLD, said that the ministry constructs about 10 motorable bridges annually. “The government should give priority to construct the bridges on the roads, which are dysfunctional without them,” he added. At least Rs 2 billion is needed for MoLD alone yearly while it is issued only Rs 440 million.

·        Rs 500 million for Nepal Government funded Mechi bridge (Initiated)

·        ADB funded Chatara (Koshi) bridge estimated at Rs 1 billion (In pipeline)

·        WB funded Karnali bridge estimated at Rs 650 million (In pipeline)

·        Rs 150 million for Arun bridge to be funded by DFID (In pipeline)

·        Rs 100 million for Sabhakhola bridge to be funded by DFID (In pipeline)

 A total of 10,000km of roads operates in all weathers throughout the year. Some 8,000km of roads come to operation only in dry season. “A bridge is necessary in average of each five kilometers of road due to the geographical structure and number of rivers and streams,” said Sitaula. “There are already 1,300 motorable bridges when we need additional 300 bridges over the crossings through these roads,” he added.

The MoPPW has been constructing the bridges on its own investment for last one decade although the foreign donors have proposed to assist for a few bridges. Ironically, only Rs 30 million is annually allocated to renovate existing 1,300 bridges. “Ten per cent of them are at dilapidated condition,” Sitaula worried. “If we depend on national resources, there will be uncertainty in bridge construction.”

Sitaula further informed that Japan government has proposed to construct 35 community road bridges in different districts. “The designing will be completed by the end of February,” he said.