Kathmandu. KATHMANDU: The Department of Water Resources and Irrigation has formed a special mechanism to monitor the physical and economic progress of the national pride projects and other projects under the Department.

The mechanism was set up by the Department to address the incidents of the projects of national pride not being able to achieve the target, the deadline has been exceeded and the problems surfaced in course of the construction could not be resolved on time.

The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation and the Department of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation would regularly monitor and coordinate the progress of the project, physical and economic condition, construction timetable, major problems and steps taken to resolve them.

According to the Department, a system would be developed to identify the problem and appoint a responsible body, set a timeframe for resolution and follow up the same.

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha has called for a meeting with project chiefs of all national pride projects next week to prepare a progress plan and progress of national pride projects.

In the initial phase, the Department will prioritise Mahakali (Third) Irrigation Project, Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Project, Babai Irrigation Project, Bheri-Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project, Sikta Irrigation Project and Sunkoshi-Marin Diversion Multipurpose Project under the Department.

These projects will not only be a mechanism to collect progress report but also as a result-oriented system for problem identification, immediate action, determination of responsibilities and follow-up of results.

It is expected that this will create more accountability to complete the national pride projects within the stipulated time, cost and quality.

According to the Department, the details received from the construction site and project office under the project will be directly included in the monitoring system and regular review will be carried out by the Department.