Focus On Effective Service Delivery

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli asked his ministerial colleagues, senior bureaucrats and executives of key national development projects to work in such a manner so that the much-touted schemes would be completed in time. The prime minister called upon the civil servants in particular not to indulge in any actions which would pose hindrances in timely completion of the development projects. This follows the prime minister’s directive given almost a fortnight ago to the concerned authorities to annul the contract for the Narayanghat-Butwal road expansion and development project if the contractor concerned failed to resume the work for road rehabilitation which is remaining incomplete for long time. The Narayanghat-Butwal road has been in a limbo for almost five years which has not only given hassles to the travelers but created a drain on national economy. 

This project could not be completed due to lack of allegedly poor performance of the contractor. However, it is also accused that there has been no commensurate support and facilitation on the part of the government agencies to help complete the execution of the project. The prime minister, ministers and the party leaders keep giving instructions to the subordinates and bureaucratic counterparts to speed up the development works and deliver services to the people in an effective manner. But not much has been carried out on the ground yet for. And the reality in the field seems to be different, even as those holding the reins of power are busy painting rosy picture of the state of affairs.

Self-centered biases

It needs to be pointed out that for the present coalition government that had been brought into effect through the seven point accord of Nepali Congress and CPN (UML), there is no other options than to deliver to redeem the pledge made to the citizens. However, current style of working and self-centered biases endemic to the leaders across the levels of the governments seem not directed to that end. The party leaders seem bent on aggrandizing their partisan turfs, serving their own interests which is making the present coalition government insecure and less confident, if not unpopular. The government performance so far has not been able to assuage the concerns of the constituent stakeholders within the party itself. 

The current state of national economy is not all too good. The party leaders themselves have   called for enhancing effectiveness of government in delivering effectively in economic realm. The economic activities seem to be caught into stagnation as indicated shortfalls in the revenue raising to meet the recurring expenditure. If the current situation is not tackled properly, the incumbent coalition government will be lost in a maze of tall promises and rhetoric without any substantive outcomes to its credit.

 The government needs to perform and deliver to inspire hope and optimism in the people. When a government makes tall promises and fails to deliver, popular discontents are bound to grow. In fact, as Prime Minister Oli has emphasised time and again the government needs to target the basic day to day problems, inconveniences and hardships faced by the people in a convincing and tangible manner.  As an example, the Ring Road has become decrepit and very difficult to wade across for both commuting public and vehicles. The Kathmandu roads and city ambience looks much more spoiled, dusty and deteriorated. The city transportation is mismanaged rendering the city commuting very difficult. The talk of setting up transportation authority to manage the valley traffic has not taken off.

The promises of federal governance thus appears neglected. Not only at the central level but the political functionaries at the sub-national level have also gone overboard to nurse their own vested interests and egos. When one scans through the news media headlines, one can come across several instances that indicate as to how local villages in the far off districts have been allowed to suffer and languish in deprivation due to highhandedness and parochial interests of the dominant local politicians who work in collusion with local contractors. 

Road building boom

It must be mentioned that local politicians from ward chairpersons to mayors have been involved in unleashing what is called as dozer-driven road building boom in the hills. This dozer road construction boom has been executed by cutting into steep fragile hillsides haphazardly without any kind of planning and ecological considerations. The dozer road construction is mostly carried out without making any arrangement for proper drainage, which has caused reckless and mindless destruction of vast swathe of green vegetation. The dozer road construction is quick and easy practice that mostly benefits contractors, unscrupulous government officials and politicians. It damages communities, landscapes and ecosystems across the country and beyond. 

Authorities in the local governments generally give contracts to the contractors directly or indirectly connected to them in carrying out road construction in a rampant and indiscriminate manner destroying rural ecology. As a result, crop production has been impaired due to destruction of local irrigation system entirely built and managed by the local populace in some districts of Nepal.  Moreover, landslides have wrought havoc in the rural areas for such reckless practices.  Thousands of families have been displaced for reason of destructive and unsustainable road building practices clamped down in the villages without regard to the natural drainage pattern and ecosystem. The government should be aware of the pitfalls and shortcomings detected in the performance at all levels over the years through course correction measures and infuse new hope and inspiration among people.

(The author is presently associated with Policy Research Institute (PRI) as a senior research fellow.  rijalmukti@gmail.com)