Jumla. The Road Division Office has started the process to scrap 10 sick contracts of the Karnali Highway road section that had been pending for years.

According to Saurabh Kumar Singh, information officer at the Jimla Road Division Office, the road office has issued a 15-day public notice regarding the termination of the contract of six construction companies that failed to complete the works on time.

According to Information Officer Singh, the contract was terminated as the deadline for managing road safety works on the branch road along the Dahikhola-Manma-Nagma Jumla section of the Karnali Highway and for the construction of culvert and protection works of the road from Kudari of Jumla to Kalikot should have been completed on the stipulated date ।

Likewise, the contractor has not been able to complete the construction of the Karnali Highway section near Balighat of Kalikot and periodic maintenance from Khulale to Ghodenga.

In the fiscal year 2079/80, an agreement was signed with Avinash Construction Service for the special repair of the Nagma-Gamgadi road section from Talcha of Mugu to Rara. According to Road Division Office, Information Officer Singh, the process of terminating the contract for the improvement of the road from Tum to Lamachaur has been started after the construction of the road from Tum to Lamachaur has been widened and the footpath work has not been completed as per the agreement signed with Binamra Construction Service Surkhet in the fiscal year 2080/81.

Earlier, four contracts for the Karnali Highway were terminated, two from Kalikot, one for the Nagma-Gamgadi road section of Mugu and the road linking Manang-Mustang via Jumla-Dolpa, according to Shrawan Kumar Mahatara, officiating chief of the Road Division Office.

According to the Road Division Office, the contract was terminated as per Clause 59 (2) of the Public Procurement Act, 2063 BS as the contractor failed to fulfill its contractual obligations despite repeated requests in writing and verbally to the contractors.

Prior to this, former Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and Urban Development Minister Kulman Ghising directed subordinate bodies to end the tendency of taking tenders but not completing the works and delaying the projects.