Home Minister Sudhan Gurung has issued a strong warning to contractors working on the Nagdhunga–Mugling road project, saying delays and poor-quality work could lead to blacklisting.
During an on-site inspection, the minister reviewed progress along the Naubise–Malekhu and Malekhu–Mugling sections, both considered critical stretches of a national priority highway. He directed contractors to complete construction within the agreed timeline and maintain proper standards, stressing that accountability would be enforced.
Project officials briefed the minister on ongoing challenges, identifying a shortage of construction materials as the main cause of delays. Legal and administrative hurdles have made it difficult to extract essential materials such as sand, gravel, and stones from rivers and quarries.
Local governments have also restricted extraction in several areas, while earlier shutdowns of crusher industries disrupted supply chains. Additional complications include overlapping taxes imposed by different municipalities, inconsistent revenue rates, and bureaucratic delays in transporting materials across local jurisdictions.
Environmental approval processes have further slowed progress, particularly for quarry operations that require impact assessments before extraction can begin.
The project team has requested government support to ease access to key material sources, including areas such as Belkhu Bagaar and Malekhu–Lam Bagaar. In response, the home minister assured that the government would coordinate across ministries to address these bottlenecks.
He also signalled a broader push to reduce political interference and administrative delays in infrastructure development. The inspection comes amid growing public concern over repeated delays in major road projects, with the Nagdhunga–Mugling stretch seen as vital for improving connectivity between Kathmandu and other parts of the country.