The project has stated that although it has coordinated with the local level, the local level in Rupandehi has not been able to provide the materials as per the requirement compared to Kapilvastu.
What you should know
The work on the expansion of the Butwal-Gorusinghe road section has slowed down due to a shortage of construction materials. The work on the expansion of the 49-kilometer section from Butwal to Gorusinghe under the National Highway Expansion Project has been affected. Three million cubic meters of construction materials are required for the section.
The project has stated that only 580,000 cubic meters have been available so far. The problem has arisen because the local government has not been able to provide the necessary soil, gravel, sand and other materials for the construction. The highway to be expanded from Butwal to the Bel River in Kapilvastu is being divided into two sections. Engineer Rajkumar Shrestha of the road expansion company said that sources are being sought in coordination with the local government for the necessary river materials.
The first section is being expanded from Butwal via Sainamaina to Saljhandi to the Kothi River in Kapilvastu. The project has stated that 871,000 cubic meters of river materials are required for this section. So far, Sainamaina Municipality has provided only 63,000 cubic meters of materials. Despite requests from the Butwal Sub-metropolitan Municipality and other municipalities for additional river materials, it has not been possible to ensure this.
‘We are requesting coordination with the local governments of Butwal, Sainamaina and Kapilpastu,’ Shrestha said, ‘This section requires 879,000 cubic meters of soil, of which 27,000 cubic meters have been made available so far.’ He said that it was easy because Tinau Rural Municipality of Palpa also gave permission to excavate 100,000 cubic meters of soil. ‘The search for more soil is ongoing,’ he said.
Under the first section, the construction of 37 out of 67 ‘box culverts’ in 25 kilometers is in the final stage. The construction of two ‘animal crossings’ has been completed. The piling work is in the final stage in most of the 12 large ones. Construction is underway at two places out of the six box bridges. The construction of 19,000 precast drains required in this section has been completed. The work of five ‘vehicle underpasses’ has begun. Construction entrepreneurs said that after the construction of culverts, drains and bridges, nearly 200 workers have been laid off due to the need to fill both sides of the road with soil and rubble.
The second section is 24 kilometers long from Kothi to the Bel River in Emilia in Kapilvastu. There is also a shortage of materials in the Sayas section. There is also a shortage of soil and rubble here. 620,000 cubic meters of soil are required for this section. So far, 300,000 cubic meters of soil have been received.
The project's site engineer Ashok Poudel said that the soil has been provided by the Buddhabhoomi Municipality of Kapilvastu and the Shitganga Municipality of Arghakhanchi, which has made things easier. He said that another 500,000 cubic meters of river-related materials are still required. The construction of 26 out of 66 box culverts, 13 out of 16 animal crossings, and six out of eight large bridges in this section is in the final stage.
One of the two box bridges is under construction. The work of filling the soil in the 13-kilometer area is ongoing. The construction of the 'precast drain' is 80 percent complete. Engineer Poudel informed that 19 percent physical and 14 percent financial progress has been made in this section so far. Chinese construction company Shaanxi Construction Engineering Group Corporation and Chitwan's Girwan Construction Service had started the road expansion work at a cost of 13.55 billion 95 million 96 thousand. The work started last Magh with the aim of completing the road expansion work in 3 years. The project has made almost 20 percent physical progress in 1 year. Project Chief Engineer Kulshata Neupane said that 16 percent financial progress has been made.
‘Initially, the work was affected by labor shortage, rain, the Genji movement and festivals, now there is an extreme shortage of materials required for construction,’ she said, ‘Coordination is being done with the local level, but compared to Kapilvastu, the local level of Rupandehi has not been able to provide materials as per the requirement.’
She said that although there has been more than 35 percent physical progress in the construction of culverts, underpasses and drains, the work of soil filling and road widening has slowed down. According to Neupane, about 600 workers are currently deployed on the road expansion work. Earlier, there were up to 800.
