By Thakur Prasad Acharya, Myagdi, Jan. 31: The construction of a building of the Beni Hospital in the Myagdi district has not been completed even after four years even though it was to be completed within three years as per the contract between the contractors and the employer.

The then Urban Development and Building Construction Division Office, Baglung, had signed a contract worth Rs. 189 million with Mahadev Khimti and Galwa Rafina JV to construct the building. Mahadev Khimti is the company led by Ravi Singh, chairman of the Federation of Construction Entrepreneurs.

The construction area is almost deserted at this time as no construction work is running owing to the negligence of the contractor.

The hospital is not able to provide prompt services to patients because of which, currently it has opted to provide services through a temporarily built infrastructure.

The construction of the building was started with a master plan to upgrade the 15-bed hospital to a 50-bed well-equipped hospital.

Utmost negligence on the part of the contractors has put the building construction of the hospital in limbo although it was to be completed by December 2019.

The foundation was laid within a year of signing the contract, and no progress has been made thereafter. Despite repeated follow-up by the government to speed up the construction, the contractor has turned a deaf ear to the government calls.

Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission Prof. Dr. Pushpa Raj Kandel and Gajendra Thapaliya, development advisor to the Prime Minister, came visited Beni in December and inspected the building under construction. They instructed the contractor company to speed up the construction, however, no effort has been made to date.

The project had been extended for a year, but nine months have already passed and no developments have been observed. "Since two months, not even a single worker is seen, though 8-10 workers were brought to complete the work," said Bel Bahadur Katuwal, Chairman of the Hospital Management Committee.

If construction goes on at this speed, it will take years to complete the construction.

The Chairman of the Hospital Management Committee said that the failure of the Central Chairman of the Federation of Construction Entrepreneurs to complete the contract on time has raised questions about the entrepreneurs.

Umakanta Adhikari, Chief District Officer (CDO), said that the matter has been discussed by summoning the head of the Urban Development and Building Construction Project Office Baglung to the district administration and instructed to speed up the construction of the building as soon as possible.

A case has been filed in the court regarding the transaction between the contractors, and the contractor company has stopped the construction saying that the payment has been stopped, said the CDO.

CDO Adhikari said that the project should not be stopped because of the issue between contractors.