Kathmandu. KATHMANDU — The process of terminating the sick contracts for the construction of roads and bridges has begun.

The Postal Roads Directorate under the Department of Roads, the Federal Road Supervision and Monitoring Office Kathmandu and the Road Division Office under Itahari have initiated the process to terminate 17 contracts that were in a state of crisis.

Why shouldn’t the Road Division Office Biratnagar, Chandranigahapur and the Directorate terminate 17 contracts, five each from Nuwakot and two from Nuwakot? He issued a public notice on Friday. Most of the bridges that have been expedited to terminate the contract are for construction.

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and Urban Development Kulman Ghising directed subordinate bodies to annul the sick contract plan to end the tendency of not completing the projects and delaying the projects. A total of 258 contractors are sick under the road.

The Kankai Bridge in Jhapa district is the biggest one among the contractors who are trying to break the contract. The process of scrapping the contract for the construction of the 723-metre-long Kankai bridge linking Jhapa rural municipality-2 and Gaurigunj rural municipality-1 that has been in limbo for the past 14 years under the Postal Highway Directorate.

A contract agreement was signed with Pappu Mahadevkhimti Joint Venture (JV) in fiscal year 2067÷68 BS for the construction of the bridge in design and build model. The physical and financial progress of the bridge construction in 14 years has been only 55 percent. Minister Ghising told the locals that a decision on the construction of the bridge would be taken soon.

It is stated that the contractors have not been physically present at the work site for a long time as the contractors have not shown any interest in completing the construction work within the stipulated time by extending the deadline of the contract and plan time and again.

It is said that the contractor did not show any interest in completing the construction work despite requesting and informing about the completion of the work in writing and verbally on different dates.

A public appeal has been made to present the authorized person at the office with a clarification on the revised schedule that can be completed within 15 days of the publication of the notice, reliable plan for mobilizing resources, commitment to complete the work and providing factual evidence if there is any valid reason not to terminate the contract.

If the government fails to show urgency to start the work within the stipulated period, action will be taken to terminate the contract agreement and blacklist it as per the provision of the Public Procurement Act and to recover 10 percent interest on the work performance guarantee, deposit amount, advance guarantee and interest on the advance amount.