KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa has proposed seven policy reforms aimed at addressing delays and structural weaknesses in Nepal’s infrastructure sector.
In a video message released on Monday, Thapa said outdated laws, procedural bottlenecks, and political interference have slowed project implementation.
He stated that if policy-level problems are resolved, projects that currently take 10-12 years could be completed within 1-2 years with better quality. Delays, he added, not only increase project costs but also affect the country’s overall economic productivity.
Key reform proposals:
- Thapa said more than three dozen laws related to infrastructure need to be amended, revised, or repealed. He noted that the Road Act is 48 years old and its regulations are yet to be formulated, while the Public Procurement Act is nearly 20 years old. Without legal reform, he said, meaningful improvement in project delivery will not be possible.
- He emphasized that infrastructure projects should be selected based on cost-benefit analysis rather than political influence, calling for an end to politically driven project prioritization.
- He pointed out that the Public Procurement Act allows evaluation based not only on lowest cost but also on faster project completion. However, this provision has not been effectively implemented. He said Nepal can adopt international best practices to improve procurement efficiency.
- Thapa stressed the need to strengthen governance and transparency through social audits, improved regulatory oversight, and institutional reforms to ensure accountability.
- He proposed legal provisions to prevent the launch of National Pride Projects without confirmed financial resources, stating that projects should not begin without assured funding.
- He suggested expanding collaboration with the private sector through models such as Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and the Hybrid Annuity Model to accelerate infrastructure transformation.
- Thapa called for independent monitoring of infrastructure projects but said oversight mechanisms should not unnecessarily delay implementation.
