Passengers have been forced to make risky and arduous journeys for years as two bridges over the Bagmati River connecting Rautahat and Sarlahi districts have not been constructed within the stipulated time frame and are stranded.
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Residents of various parts of Rautahat and Sarlahi in Madhesh Province have been forced to suffer due to the failure to construct bridges on time. The construction of the bridges has been stalled as the work has not been completed despite the contract being awarded for the construction.
Two bridges over the Bagmati River connecting Rautahat and Sarlahi districts have been left stranded for years due to the lack of construction. Both bridges connect not only Sarlahi and Rautahat but also Parsa, Bara, Rautahat with Janakpur, the capital of Madhesh Province.
Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure, Transport and Urban Development Kulman Ghising inspected the bridge on Friday evening and took information about the construction progress. He met with locals and discussed the problems faced due to the lack of the bridge.
Stating that he was saddened to see the problems faced by the common people every day due to the lack of the bridge, Minister Ghising said that he would continue to be vigilant whether he is in the post of minister or not. The locals had urged the immediate completion of the bridge construction.
The 700-meter-long bridge connecting Durga Bhagwati Rural Municipality of Rautahat and Ramnagar Rural Municipality of Sarlahi across the Bagmati River (Ganga Pipra) is in abeyance. A contract agreement was signed with Tundi-Rasuwa-Pappu JV for the construction of the bridge in Asad 2073 for Rs 863.7 million.
According to the latest extended contract agreement, the construction of the bridge should be completed by 13 Kartik 2083. The flood in the Bagmati River in Asoj last year washed away one span and one foundation of the bridge. The physical progress of the construction of the bridge is 80 percent.
A contract agreement was initially signed in Jestha 2067 for the construction of the 634-meter-long Bagmati (Badarwa) bridge connecting Sarlahi and Rautahat along the Postal Highway to complete the construction within three years. Even after 12 and a half years, the bridge has not been constructed. After the construction contractor failed to complete the work, the old contract was terminated and a new contract was awarded in Baisakh 2079 for Rs. 651.6 million.
Although an agreement was made to complete the construction within two and a half years, the construction progress is currently only 20 percent. Although the contract deadline was extended until Chait 2083, the construction contractor has not been mobilized to the construction site.
Similarly, the construction of the Gaindatar Chandi Bridge, located north of Chapur in Rautahat, has been stalled for 10 years. The bridge, which will be used to connect Bakaiya Rural Municipality in Makawanpur with the Dharan-Chatara-Haitauda road section, has not been completed even though the deadline has been extended three times. The locals had organized various protest programs including hunger strike to immediately complete the construction of the bridge. The contract for the construction of the bridge was awarded to Pappu-Sivashankar JV.
