Contractor negligence leaves Dailekh District Hospital in limbo

By Kamal Sharma,Dailekh, Nov. 17: The construction of the Dailekh District Hospital building, which should have been completed and brought into operation a year ago, remains incomplete due to the negligence of the construction company. 

The project was awarded to Shree Prera/Caravan/Super Star JV for Rs. 182.4 million (excluding VAT and provisional sums). The project began on May 24, 2021, with the original completion deadline set for June 12, 2024. 

According to the hospital administration, only 65 per cent of the work has been completed so far. Although the government extended the deadline to September 18, 2025, through a secretary-level decision, the progress has remained stagnant, leaving the partially built structure abandoned.

District Hospital Chief Dr. Manoj Bishwokarma said that after the contractor failed to make progress even within the extended period, provincial leaders, political parties, civil society representatives and construction entrepreneurs held a joint discussion on Thursday.

“We were forced into this discussion because patients are being treated on the floor due to a lack of beds while the new building remains stranded,” he said. The 15-bed hospital has been serving up to 51 patients at a time.

Local political parties have urged the government to terminate the contract with the current contractor, accusing the contractor of putting citizens’ health at risk. 

Nepali Congress district president Mani Ram Regmi said the contractor failed to work even after obtaining a deadline extension, and asserted that the contract should not be renewed without a guarantee of completion.

Similarly, leaders from CPN-UML, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal and CPN (Unified Socialist) demanded that the company be blacklisted and the contract cancelled if it cannot resume work immediately.

Secretary Dol Raj Dhakal of the Karnali Province Ministry of Social Development said the delay was not the government’s fault, but the contractor’s. 

He added that if the contractor fails to start work immediately, the contract should be terminated with penalties.

Meanwhile, Tara Kumari Shahi, proprietor of Shree Prera/Caravan/Super Star JV, claimed the company could complete the building within six months if the deadline is extended again. 

She attributed delays to tree-removal issues, the COVID-19 pandemic, economic slowdown and a shortage of skilled labourer, assuring that the work would be completed within the added timeframe.