If this 6-kilometer road of the postal road is blacktopped and a bridge is built over the Kankai River, the journey from Biratnagar to Jhapa will be shorter.
What you should know
It is about 6 kilometers from Naya Bazaar in Jahada Rural Municipality of Morang to the border of Biratnagar Metropolitan City via Katahari Rural Municipality. This section of the Postal Highway feels more like a deserted road than a road.
The daily hardships faced by the common people to cross this road, which has been abandoned for years, are indescribable. Locals complain that it is very difficult to travel due to mud during the rainy season and dust during the winter. ‘When it rains, it becomes muddy, when the sun shines, the dust makes it difficult to recognize people,’ lamented Harishankar Mandal of Rangeli, who travels daily on this road, ‘We have been facing this situation for years, we do not know when it will be built.’
The construction of this road began in 2076 BS. However, even after 6 years, the progress of the work has not increased above 30 percent. ‘It feels like the government has tormented us in the name of the road,’ says Ganesh Mandal, who runs a paan shop next to the road, ‘For how long will this torment last?’
According to him, it is not possible to travel on this road during the rainy season. Many motorcycle passengers traveling here have slipped in the mud and got injured. ‘Not only cars, but even walking is a problem,’ says Mandal. According to Rampreet Gangai, a grocery store owner, customers cannot come to shop due to mud and dust. ‘Customers wait for days,’ he says, ‘and when they reach home, they are unrecognizable due to the dust.’
Shrestha Construction Pvt. Ltd. of Hetauda was awarded the contract to construct this road section in Kartik 2076. However, the progress of the construction so far has been very disappointing. Despite the extension of the deadline twice, the construction is in a state of disarray. Recently, the construction company has been out of contact.
According to Upendra Das, engineer of the Postal Road Project, Itahari, the construction of this road has been hampered for a long time due to the contractor company being out of contact. ‘The process with the old contractor has been broken and the work of moving forward with the new contract has begun,’ said Engineer Das, ‘The work will start after the new contract agreement is signed within at least 3 months.’
Locals have repeatedly warned that if this road is not blacktopped immediately, they will protest. Even before Dashain, locals had blocked the road, saying that dust was affecting health. Koshi Province MPs Bhim Parajuli and Shila Dixit had also drawn the attention of stakeholders to speed up the construction of the road.
If this 6-kilometer road on the Hulaki Road is blacktopped and a bridge is built over the Kankai River, the journey from Biratnagar to Jhapa will be shorter. Many people could use this road as an alternative to the East-West Highway.
