Minister Ghising said that although the road upgrading work has begun, it appears that the work is not progressing at the pace it should.
What you should know
Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure and Transport and Urban Development Kulman Ghising has conducted an on-site inspection of the under-construction East-West Asian Highway.
With the investment of the Government of Nepal and a concessional loan from the Asian Development Bank, a 95-kilometer road from Kakarbhitta in Jhapa to Labipur in Sunsari is being upgraded as per the standards of the Asian Highway. The overall construction progress of the project is 25 percent.
Minister Ghising had discussed the progress of the road construction from Itahari to Birtamod, the problems seen in the construction, the work to be done to solve the problems, etc. with the Director General of the Road Department, Project Chief, Consultant and Construction Entrepreneur.
Minister Ghising said that although the road upgrading work has started, it has not been done at the pace it should be. Stating that the onset of winter is the right season to speed up the work, Minister Ghising urged to increase the speed of the work by adding manpower.
Although there are some problems in moving the electricity poles on the right and left sides of the road, he said that the problem will be resolved in necessary coordination with the Nepal Electricity Authority and the construction will not be affected.
The road is being divided into two sections. The construction progress of the 45-kilometer section from Kakadbhitta to Kerkha Sitapuri in Jhapa is 29 percent. A contract agreement was signed in Kartik 2080 for the construction of this section to be completed within three years. The construction progress of the 50-kilometer road from Sitapuri to Labipur in Sunsari is only 13 percent.
The project will construct 134 culverts and wildlife-friendly underpasses, 7 vehicular underpasses, and 5 sky bridges, among other road structures.
