Members of the National Assembly (NA), the upper house of Parliament, have urged the government to introduce separate legislation dedicated to national pride projects. During a meeting of the Federalism Enablement and National Concerns Committee on Wednesday, parliamentarians emphasized the need for specific laws to ensure the timely execution of these projects.

The meeting discussed the challenges faced by ongoing national pride projects, including the Mahakali Irrigation, Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation, Bheri Babai Diversion, and Sikta Irrigation, among others.

Committee member Krishna Bahadur Rokaya expressed concern that while the government frequently announces national pride projects, many stall due to insufficient financial resources. He stressed that dedicated legislation is necessary to address this issue.

Other members, including Indira Joshi Gautam, Bishnu Kumari Sapkota, and Gopal Bahadur Sarki Achhami, raised concerns over escalating costs caused by delays and slow implementation.

During the meeting, Sarita Dawadi, secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, reported that the Sikta Irrigation Project had achieved 41.58% physical progress and 40.62% financial progress. She also highlighted that inadequate budgets and frequent transfers of project heads and staff had further hampered progress. -- RSS