April 10: Vice Chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC) Dr. Min Bahadur Shrestha has revealed that the economy has come to a standstill because of the government’s delay releasing payment of large amount of money to the builders. He added that the government is positive about the payment of money to the construction entrepreneurs though.

During a meeting with representatives of the Federation of Contractor’s Association of Nepal (FCAN) on Sunday, Shrestha said that there are many problems in the construction industry.

He noted that builders are suffering from problems such as difficulty in acquiring land, lack of budget and construction materials, and community resistance.

“As an umbrella organization, the federation can make construction professionals more responsible and the personal role should be made more effective,” Shrestha said.

During the meeting, FCAN President Ravi Singh apprised NPC Vice Chair Shrestha about the existing problems of the construction industry and the solutions. He said that the construction industry could not become professional because of the government's working style. Singh said that the practice of inviting tenders without managing the budget is wrong and mentioned that the practice of not being able to use the resources of the country should be ended.

FCAN also demanded that the businessmen should receive 20 percent mobilization deposit as per the Public Procurement Act. Meanwhile, FCAN mentioned that the businessmen who were hit hard by the inflation in recent times did not get any relief.

FCAN also emphasized that the National Planning Commission should work boldly without bowing to pressure from anyone while drawing attention to the issues that should be included in the upcoming budget for the development of the construction industry.