The steel pillars erected on the Bhujikhola Bridge, which cost Rs 33.4 million and was stalled eight years ago, have rusted. It is not yet certain when it will be built.
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It is the rainy season, and every year the locals here are bothered by abandoned bridges in the river. The locals have started complaining after the bridges that were put into operation eight years ago and should have provided services to the citizens have fallen into disrepair.
The Daramkhola bridge connecting Ward No. 8 and 9 of Galkot Municipality in Baglung and Bhujikhola bridge of Ward No. 5 of Dhorpatan Municipality have not been completed and are starting to deteriorate. The steel pillars of the Bhujikhola bridge, which cost Rs 33.4 million and was left in disrepair eight years ago, have rusted. It is not yet certain when it will be built. Nearly Rs 20 million have been spent here. Only two pillars of this bridge, which should have been built in Magh 2074 if it had been built regularly, have been erected. It is not yet certain when it will be built.
The Bhujikhola bridge of Ward No. 5 of Dhorpatan Municipality is also in a similar situation. After the flood in Bobang in 2077, the land near the western pillar of this bridge has been opened. Due to which another pillar is needed. For that, the design also needs to be changed. The Road Division Office has been saying that the work could not be started due to lack of budget even after sending the work to the department after making a new contract, changing the design, etc.
This bridge, which was contracted by YP Rafina Joint Construction Company, should have been completed on Magh 4, 2074 if it had been done as per the contract agreement dated Asoj 4, 2073 BS. After being left idle for a long time and the last extension on Mangsir 4, 2077 BS, the office canceled the contract for this bridge three years ago.
Even though the contract was canceled, the locals have suffered every year while traveling. Due to the risk during the rainy season, they are forced to take a roundabout route to reach Budhathar. ‘Neither a bridge was built, nor was there any place to jump here,’ said local teacher Chudamani Poudel, ‘We have always suffered from the pain of going to and from school.’ Students of Bhuji Secondary School here have suffered during the winter and rainy season because they cannot walk on the nearby road. Locals have not been able to transport goods.
It has been three years since the road division technicians completed their work and sent the file to the ministry. As the flow of the river has been changing lately, engineers have been regularly visiting and mapping the changed structure and writing a report with the required amount. But the Finance Ministry has not ensured the budget, citing the financial crisis, said Division Chief Hari Prasad Subedi.
The Daramkhola concrete bridge connecting Ward No. 8 to 9 of Galkot Municipality has been abandoned for 8 years. After the work was not completed despite repeated extensions, the Road Division Office, Baglung, had canceled the contract of 'YP Construction Pvt. Ltd.', citing violation of the Public Procurement Act. On the recommendation of the division, the Federal Roads and Supervision and Monitoring Office has completed all the procedures and even put the company on the blacklist. After the contract was canceled, the contract did not move forward until the remaining amount was re-guaranteed.
The contract states that the Daramkhola bridge should have been completed on Magh 9, 2075 if the work had been completed on time. The division office has canceled the contract for this bridge as well after the work was left unfinished. Only one pillar has been erected on this bridge, which was worth Rs 61.7 million. According to the engineer, 40 percent of the work on this bridge has been completed. If the Daramkhola bridge connecting Kandebas and Pachuwa from the Mid-Hill Highway is built, the students of Shiva Mavi here will be able to travel easily. They are forced to carry the luggage dropped on the highway to Kandebas, Chalisa, Jyamire and Thalepokhara.
