Except for the clause to be done by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the contract has already been completed. But the work has not started.
What you should know
Last year, the flood that occurred on the eve of Dasain washed away about 12 km of the BP highway. It blocked the way for travelers who were planning to go to East Terai during Dasain. Last year, from October 10 to 12, the East Terai was not connected to the highway due to continuous rains. People were forced to find alternative routes to go home. After suffering for hours, he had to reach home on Dasain. 14 days after the flood damage, the road was put into operation from Phulpati on October 24.
The road was brought into operation temporarily after digging the hole. Because of the narrow roads, commuters had no choice but to endure daily traffic jams. A year after the flood, the permanent construction of the highway could not be started. Initially, budget issues and later due to the lengthy contract process continued to prolong the time.
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has already signed the contract. But the work has not started. Until now, the highway was being operated under temporary repairs, this year the flood that occurred on October 18, 19 and 20 has washed away the highway under temporary repairs.
About four km of the road was washed away. The highway has been operational since Friday, six days after the flood damage. At present, the traffic is being operated through the river. There is still a risk that traffic will be blocked after heavy rains. Around 10,000 vehicles pass through this highway during the festival.
Currently only 25 km of the road out of 30.5 km has been contracted, the rest is yet to be contracted. When will the permanent construction of the highway begin? Suman Yogesh, head of road division Bhaktapur, says, "We are starting some sections now, we will continue the work after Chhath after looking at the damage caused by the flood a few days ago." He said that the flood a few days ago also damaged new areas. "We will look at that too," he said, "If we need to add something, we will start working after Tihar by adding it to the design." A two-lane road is going to be constructed in the flood-damaged 30.5 km area under the
highway from Bhakundebensi to Nepalthok. At present, the contract has been signed for three packages, two for Kavre and one for Sindhuli. The contract for the 11 km section from Bhakundebensi to Charsaybensi has been awarded by Lama-Nawakantipur JV for 1.14 billion rupees excluding VAT.
The contract for the distance of 9 km from Charsaybensi to Dalabensi has been signed with Khani-Kamaljit-Awan JV for 1 billion 22 million rupees excluding VAT. Both contracts were signed last June and the road department said that the work should be completed within two years from the date of the contract.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will work on a 5 km section of this highway. JICA will construct a 3.2 km road from Pipley to Barkhe Khola. For that, the final survey work has been completed. The contract agreement has not yet been concluded. "After completing the survey work in this section, the design is being finalized," he said, "so the contract will be awarded only after Dasain." The section is going to be built with a subsidy of 2.63 billion rupees from the Japanese government. Despite the delay in the contract, the road department says that the work done by Japan will make the vehicle operable by July 2027. BP Highway is currently intermediate (below two lanes), will now be two lanes.
The contract for the 2.3 km section from Piple to Dalabensi was called and was under financial and technical evaluation in the department. Yogesh, the head of road division Bhaktapur said that the document was again prepared and submitted to the department. "It may take 15 days to complete," he said.
"We will not allow problems to arise in the next monsoon," he said, "Now wherever the damage is done, the design is ready. Last year, it took time to secure resources and design again, and the contract process was also delayed because it was too long."
The 5 km section from Barkhe Khola to Nepalthok is in Sindhuli. The contract for the said section was taken by Kharidhunga-Ghising-Khistij JV. Its contract amount is Rs 55 crore excluding VAT. The contract was signed in the second week of June of this section. Road division Khalte, Sindhuli said that work will start on this section after Chhath.
For the permanent construction and maintenance of BP Highway, 7.5 billion rupees have been provided to Road Division Bhaktapur and 1 billion rupees to Khurkot section. Director General of Roads Department Vijay Jaisi said that the work will be carried forward to avoid problems in the next monsoon. "Now is the time to work," he said.
