VIP Site Inspections in Infrastructure Projects: Result-Oriented or Mere Formality?
After Physical Infrastructure Minister Sunil Lamsal visited Siraha and Dhanusha districts for an on-site inspection of the Kamala Bridge, locals expressed their frustration vocally. The bridge has remained stalled for 15 years, with 17 ministers before Lamsal having inspected the site. With an increase in VIP and non-technical visits, site inspections are increasingly seen less as result-driven exercises and more as mere formalities or trending events.
May 8, Kathmandu. On Saturday evening, Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal conducted a field inspection of the Kamala Bridge on the Hulaki Highway that connects Siraha and Dhanusha. The minister’s visit triggered dissatisfaction among locals, given that 17 ministers had previously inspected the bridge without progress. Despite promises from the minister to take action this time, the absence of a clear work plan led to protests forcing him to leave the site.
The Kamala Bridge has seen no progress in construction for 15 years, causing hardship for local residents. According to locals, the issue lies not at the local government level but within the state apparatus and its longstanding practices. Engineer Pravin Yadav, coordinator of the Hulaki Kamala Bridge Struggle Committee, stated that although the minister asserted, “We have come not to talk but to work and will show results,” the people did not trust these words. The absence of a definitive construction plan fueled their anger.
Since assuming office, Minister Lamsal has repeated the same unsuccessful patterns of his predecessors. Nepal’s infrastructure project management system is broken. Rather than accelerating work, visits from VIPs only increase frustration. Former Physical Infrastructure Secretary Keshav Kumar Sharma noted that while leadership field inspections should not be dismissed, dissatisfaction arises due to repeated similar visits, and such visits should play a meaningful role in resolving problems.
Since the current government’s formation, ministers have toured not only their own sectors but others as well, exerting pressure on construction companies and staff. Sharma acknowledged that sometimes progress is made following high-level visits, but it remains critical to break the perception that “a new face is still the same person.”
Minister Lamsal is a professional engineer who dedicates significant time to his field inspections. Shivhari Ghimire, General Secretary of the Nepal Constructors Association, expressed confidence that the minister has a good understanding of planned challenges and that field visits can yield positive outcomes. Although it is natural for a departmental minister to inspect infrastructure projects, post-government formation practices have relegated such inspections to mere pressure tactics and formalities.
Former Home Minister Sudhan Gurung conducted a site inspection in March at the Daunne section of the Narayangadh-Butwal road, which raised questions. He had also irregularly monitored the parliament building construction as a non-technical lawmaker. Recently, a team led by Parliament Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal conducted an inspection of the ongoing Dodhara Chandani Dry Port construction in Sudurpashchim. Incidents like these suggest that VIP site visits have become fashions and rituals rather than aimed at substantive results.
Experts argue that Nepal’s development programs have suffered due to audit and monitoring systems. Instead of facilitating construction, intense supervision has become dominant. Superintendent Engineer Kuver Nepali of the Road Department stated, “More than three dozen monitoring bodies inspect a single project. District-level development centers are even burdened with pilgrimage and guest hospitality management.” The distortions visible before the Jana Andolan movement unfortunately persist in the current environment.