KATHMANDU, Feb. 16 -- Four months after awarding the contract, the delay in selecting a consultant for the Laukahi-Kakarvitta road upgradation project, worth Rs 40 billion, has caused a dilemma regarding the timely completion of work.

There is a legal provision that the consultant must be selected before the contract is signed. The consultant is responsible for administrative tasks, construction monitoring, evaluation and bill verification. Therefore, contract agreement and consultant selection should be done at the same time.

The delay in selecting a consultant has thrown the construction into disarray. On October 19, China Railway First Group Company Limited and China Overseas Engineering Group signed a Rs 40 billion contract to upgra...