More than NPR 10 crore allocated by the federal and provincial governments for the construction of the Gautam Buddha International Cricket Stadium in Bharatpur has been returned due to delays in construction work, as reported by Setopati.
The amount, which was disbursed through Bharatpur Metropolitan City, had to be sent back to the respective governments after the construction company failed to meet the required progress within the fiscal year. According to the Metropolitan's Divisional Engineer Santosh Acharya, out of NPR 25 crore released by the federal government, only NPR 17 crore 65 lakh 69 thousand 830 was utilized. The remaining NPR 7 crore 34 lakh 30 thousand 170 was returned, as per Setopati’s report.
Similarly, of the NPR 10 crore released by the Bagmati Province Government, only NPR 6 crore 80 lakh was spent, leading to a return of NPR 3 crore 20 lakh. According to the agreement, Bagmati Province is responsible for 70% of the funding, while Bharatpur Metropolitan City covers the remaining 30%. The federal government provided funds on behalf of the metropolitan's share.
The metropolitan had also allocated NPR 5 crore from its own budget, but that amount remained frozen, as the work failed to progress adequately.
According to Engineer Acharya, the construction company was expected to complete 40% of the work by the end of the fiscal year, but managed only 2.49% financial progress, despite achieving around 30% physical progress. “Since the work could not be completed on time, the budget had to be returned,” he said, as quoted by Setopati.
The contract for the construction, worth NPR 78 crore 50 lakh 91 thousand, was awarded to the Himalayan–Kalinchowk–BBR Joint Venture on Ashar 23, 2081 (July 7, 2024). As per the agreement, the construction must be completed by Poush 22, 2083 (January 6, 2027).
To date, the stadium has completed the slab work for a 5,000-capacity parapet, while construction is ongoing for another 2,000-capacity parapet. Among two planned towers, one has had its ground floor slab poured, and the second is currently undergoing foundation work. Additional infrastructure developments include the installation of 200 meters of drainage covers, the completion of 155 meters of compound wall, and the installation of a 500-kilowatt transformer, Setopati reported.
Due to delays, Bharatpur Metropolitan City had urged the construction company two months ago to ensure at least 40% progress by the end of the fiscal year. Mayor Renu Dahal, Deputy Mayor Chitrasen Adhikari, and technical officials had visited the site to pressure the contractor to accelerate the pace of work.
Despite some progress, the overall slow pace of construction has led to significant funds being returned, casting doubt on the timely completion of this much-anticipated international-standard cricket stadium in Nepal.