Infrastructure Minister Lamsal Prioritizes Multi-Year Budget System

Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal has said the government has prioritized the multi-year budget system in the country’s construction sector. Speaking during the discussion on the appropriation bill of his ministry in the House of Representatives on Thursday, Minister Lamsal said some projects may appear to have received lower budgets in the first year because of the priority given to the multi-year budget system. He said that if the budget allocated to projects in the first year becomes insufficient, it will be managed through budget transfer if necessary.

Minister Lamsal said his ministry’s budget is around Rs 300 billion, but the target is to call tenders worth Rs 1 trillion in the upcoming fiscal year. He said sufficient budget has been allocated for road construction projects under the federal government’s jurisdiction and that all areas have been prioritized based on lawmakers’ demands. Regarding his earlier remark about breaking the legs of contractors who do not work, Lamsal clarified that his intention was only to make contractor companies responsible, not to cause trouble to anyone. He said he had warned contractors because delays in work could lead to contract cancellation, wasting both time and resources.