Myagdi. Gandaki State has blacktopped and sloped 245 kilometers of roads in the fiscal year 2081/82 BS. According to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport Management, 1,146.88 kilometers of roads have been blacktopped and sloped since the formation of the state government in 2074 BS, including the fiscal year 2081/82 BS.

Senior Divisional Engineer at the Ministry, Dr Mahendra Baniya, said the state government has constructed 112 road bridges, including 11 completed last year. According to him, 762.73 kilometers of roads have been graveled so far, including 66.73 kilometers last year.

Baniya said 67 buildings, including 87 suspension bridges and 39, including five last year, have been constructed and repaired. In the last fiscal year, the ministry has spent 76.52 percent or Rs 9.72 billion in the budget allocation of Rs 12.71 billion.

Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport Management, Prakash Bahadur KC, said the ministry has spent the highest budget in the last five years. He said that the budget has been allocated by giving priority to the multi-year plan to complete the old plans this year.

Last year, the Ministry awarded multi-year contracts for the construction of 47 roads, 13 road bridges, 13 suspension bridges and one building at an estimated cost of Rs 4.27 billion. A total of 63 multi-year projects have been completed in the fiscal year 2081/82 BS.

At present, 271 multi-year plans are under construction. Of them, 186 are state roads, four federal roads, seven contracted through design and build, and 66 road bridges, 12 suspension bridges and three buildings, including three federal ones.

The 20 schemes run by the ministry are problematic. A total of Rs 4.77 billion has been allocated in the fiscal year 2082/83 BS as against rs 10.15 billion in the multi-year plan.

Secretary at the Ministry, Kamal Bahadur Adhikari, said that the amount saved while awarding the contract for the Salbasali project has been transferred to the multi-year plan by transferring the internal amount to the financial resources. Last year, rs 1.94 billion left over from the contract of the Salbasali project was transferred to the multi-year plan.