Chitwan. Chitwan, Aug 12: A total of 125 contracts run by the Infrastructure Development Office, Chitwan are on the verge of being halted. Due to the rising cost of essential goods, including fuel, the contracts have become unworkable.

According to Office Chief Birendra Kumar Chaudhary, 267 projects have been allocated to the office and 217 are currently in operation. Of them, work on 125 projects has been halted, he said. According to him, the infrastructure development works are on the verge of being halted due to the increase in the price of fuel and the problem of bitumen.

Chaudhary said, “The contractors have submitted letters to the office demanding the ‘construction holiday’ (process to stop the projects that can be stopped for the time being). He said that the infrastructure construction has been affected due to the increase in the price of fuel in all sectors.

Although 50 projects are supposed to be done by the users’ committee, the work of these projects has not been completed. The office is currently constructing 19 bridges while other projects are constructing roads, he said.

“If this situation continues, 50 to 60 percent of the projects started from this office will not be completed,” said Chaudhary. The office, which has been carrying out development works with a budget of Rs 670 million, has assured the contractors that it will move ahead as per the government’s decision.

Pushkar Adhikari, general secretary of the Contractors’ Association, Chitwan, said that the contractors are not in a position to work in the present situation. He expressed the view that it was necessary for the government to take ahead the construction as a holiday as it was not possible to work due to the rising cost of living. He stressed that the state should address the contractors as a holiday or adjustment in the budget due to the increase in inflation.