COVID era holding centers worth Rs 2 billion turn into costly ghost structures
Summary
COVID-era holding centers built across Nepal at a cost of Rs 2 billion remain unused and deteriorating, including a 1,000-bed facility in Biratnagar and another in Jhapa, highlighting poor coordination between federal and provincial governments.
Key Points
- The 1,000-bed Holding Center in Biratnagar, built for COVID-19 isolation at Rs 290 million, has remained unused and is deteriorating since its completion in 2021.
- A similar neglected holding center exists in Jhapa, with multiple such centers across Nepal built at an overall cost of Rs 2 billion remaining idle.
- Coordination issues between federal and provincial governments have been cited as primary reasons for underutilization and delay in repurposing these facilities.
- The Ministry of Defense has formed a committee to assess operations of these centers, but no decisions or operational plans have been made yet.
