Narayangadh-Butwal road expansion: Contractors will continue to cheat, government will continue to believe

It has been 6 years since the construction started, the deadline has been extended for the third time so far, but the progress is only 52.7 percent. Not much work has been done since the rain. Be it monsoon or winter, passengers have been suffering from mud and dust in both seasons.

You can't even see close by the dust that flies when the sun shines. Due to the dust, there is a compulsion to drive the vehicle with headlights on during the day. The risk of accidents is also the same due to mud flowing in places and vehicles slipping. Due to the location of the road, the commercial business of this section is also fourfold.

Chudaraj Dhakal, Project Head of the Project Directorate (ADB) under the Road Department, said that there was some delay in the work due to the rain. "There used to be a lot of construction work in Barkha, including making drains and putting up walls, this work has been completed," he said.

"We have set a time to increase the progress," he said, "We have to make the progress that has been asked to be made within the specified time, there is no option to break the contract if we don't make it." By December 2024, 80 percent of the work on one side should be completed. The entire work on the other side should be completed by March 2025. "The deadline has been extended so that all the work can be completed by July 2025," he said, "the work will be completed within the specified time." "There was only 12 percent progress in the 3 and a half years after the construction started," he said, "later on, the builders made some progress when the deadline was extended." "The businessmen who took the contract said that they could not work because of the loss, the work could not take off," he said The leadership team reached the central office of the contracting company in China and informed about the problem in June.

After the construction of this road was not completed on time, it was discussed several times in various parliamentary committees of the House of Representatives. Committees have done on-site monitoring time and time again and have drawn the attention of the relevant agencies to complete the work quickly. The Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport does not forget to monitor this road and give instructions. But the contractor doesn't give up his slow pace by pretending not to hear. The then Minister of Physical Infrastructure, Narayankaji Shrestha, had warned that the contract would be terminated if progress was not made during the on-site monitoring. But now neither the builders could work nor the contract was broken.

Current physical infrastructure minister Devendra Dahal has also continued the monitoring like previous ministers. He reached Narayangadh-Butwal road on Sunday via Nagadhunga-Muglin, Muglin-Pokhara. He was accompanied by Secretary Keshav Kumar Sharma, project head and others. During the monitoring, Minister Dahal said that if the work is not completed within the third time extension, the contract will be terminated and the new contract process will be initiated. ''If the contract is not performed according to the agreement, the contract will be terminated,'' he said to the local people's representatives during the monitoring on Sunday. ' According to the

project, there will be no black paper work during the rainy season. Its work will start from September 15 only. It is divided into two sections and contracted. Out of 113 km road, 70 km will be 4-lane, 29 km will be 4-lane with 6/6 meter service lane on both sides, 14 km will be 3-lane road in Downe. Structures including 64 bridges and 462 culverts will have to be constructed in between. So far 26.5 km of 4-lane and 22 km of 2-lane roads have been paved. 42 bridges and 380 culverts have been built.

After the work was not completed within the specified time, the deadline was extended for the second time until 08 July 8. After the work was not completed during this period too, the deadline was extended for the third time till July 8, 2008. The contract was signed with Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan assistance. By dividing it into two parts, the contract amount is 16 billion 99 million 52 lakh 96 thousand rupees. So far, 9 and a half billion rupees have been paid including peski.

"If we do not complete the progress given by January-February, we will proceed with the process to break the contract," said Secretary Sharma. Its contract was taken by China State Construction Engineering Corporation. When the company did not make progress in the work, on the first week of October 079, the project issued a one-month notice and warned that the contract would be terminated. The project backed out of breaking the contract after the contractor promised to complete the work soon. The work is not finished yet. The same company has taken the contract for the construction of 1,126-meter Siddhababa Tunnel in Palpa and 3,355-meter Mahadeotar Tunnel on the Kathmandu Terai/Madhesh Expressway (Fast Track).

'If we don't complete the specified progress, we will start the process of breaking the contract'

Keshav Kumar Sharma, Physical Infrastructure Secretary

How long will the Narayangadh-Butwal road be completed? We have reached the field and seen whether the

has been done or not. Narayangadh-Butwal road will be completed within one year. No work has been done now due to rain. Materials used in its construction, camps, large asphalt plants are under preparation. It has become easier to travel through this road than last year.

It is being said that the construction businessmen who took the contract left the job and ran away, what is special? The

contractor did not escape. Progress at work is slow. We are pushing to speed up the work through various means. We are asking the builders to complete the work under pressure from the diplomatic level as well.

Why is the contractor who does not work?

The delay in the initial period was not only due to the fault of the builders. The impact of Covid-19 also fell during construction. The tree could not be cut in time. In view of the time when the work could not be done, the deadline of the Nepalese construction professionals was extended by the decision of the Council of Ministers.

According to that, the deadline of the contractor who took the contract for this road has been extended. Not extended at once. Due to the fact that the work was not completed when the deadline was given at once, the deadline was extended. Even now, there has been some delay in moving electric poles and not getting construction materials. If we do not complete the milestones given by January-February, we will proceed with the process of breaking the contract.

How easy will travel on this road be until Dasain?

Under the Muglin-Pokhara road section, Jamune-Pokhara section has no work and we have reached the process of breaking the contract. Now the work there is satisfactory. There is good progress in the Ambukhaireni-Jamune section. As the festival is approaching, we are reaching a place where there is a problem on the ground to understand about the highway that is being upgraded and expanded.

The condition of Nagadhunga-Muglin road was also looked at. It is the 'lifeline' road of the country. As the festival is approaching, the traffic will increase now. We will make all these roads smooth by Dasain. We will create an environment to take the passengers to their destination by driving vehicles well.