Political instability takes a toll on development: Chairperson Oli

Kathmandu, May 11: CPN (UML) Chairperson KP Sharma Oli has admitted that political instability has taken a toll on development in the country.

At a national seminar organized by the UML’s central department of physical infrastructures and transportation here today, Chair Oli, also the former Prime Minister, viewed that infrastructures should be optimized to develop entrepreneurship and create employment opportunities.

He emphasized establishment of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) based on agriculture. Pledging to put in place necessary policies and programmes for development of physical infrastructures in the upcoming fiscal year, the septuagenarian leader argued, ‘Infrastructure is not development. It is a basis for development. To develop, infrastructures are needed.’

Chairperson Oli however argued, “We have made a stride in terms of development of infrastructures for railways, airways, extension of electricity and expansion of communication services.” According to him, the government led by his party at local levels had launched campaign to connect every local level’s centre with the blacktopped road.

Also speaking in the programme, UML Vice-Chairperson Surendra Pandey called for improving capital expenditure. He viewed that there was a challenge to achieve efficiency in capital expenditure. He spoke of the need for the parliament to endorse and implement the proposals floated by the National Planning Commission for development projects. He underlined the need for all political parties to unite in the agenda of development.

Similarly, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth said that the country would be developed if the politicians would deliver on national interest by rising above the partisan interests. He pledged to accelerate development of physical infrastructures and achieve good progress in the physical infrastructure sector.

UML central member Krishna Bahadur KC said that they would submit the recommendations furnished by the experts of road and transport section during the seminar.

During the seminar, railway and water transportation sector experts Dr Chandra Bahadur Shrestha and Guru Bhattarai, construction and engineering sector experts Sushil Gyawali and Om Sharma and transportation sector experts Dadhi Kharel and Shreeram Dhakal will present working papers, as shared.
(RSS)