The road expansion work from Kakadbhitta in Jhapa to Laukahi in Sunsari has neither progressed as expected nor is the condition of the section under construction good.
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Work is underway to expand the East-West Highway to four lanes to upgrade it to the 'Asian Highway'.
This work is ongoing on the road section from Kakarbhitta in Jhapa to Laukahi in Sunsari. However, neither the construction work has progressed as expected nor is the condition of the road section under construction good.
Due to lack of water during the road construction, sometimes passengers are troubled by dust, and sometimes two-wheelers are troubled by slipping due to excessive water on the road. The diversions built on the road are also increasing the risk of accidents.
On December 25, two youths died in a motorcycle accident on a diversion near Giribandhu Tea Garden in Birtamod. Bhupal Adhikari, 25, of Bhadrapur-9, and Shirke Subedi, 25, of Bhadrapur-7, died in the accident on the diversion. On the same day, one person was injured when a scooter skidded on the slippery road near NMC Dairy in Mechinagar.
Thus, accidents are happening one after another due to negligence during the road construction. Road construction is at a slow pace. It has been two years since the road construction contract was awarded. So far, only about 30 percent progress has been made.
The contract, which was awarded for three years, is due to be completed by 19 Magh 083. About 70 percent of the work needs to be done in the remaining 13 months of the contract period.
The Kakadbhitta-Laukahi road, which is being expanded with a loan of 84.9 million dollars from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and 15.1 percent investment from the Government of Nepal, is being divided into two sections. Each of these sections has been awarded a contract. Although the 120-kilometer road from Kakadbhitta to Laukahi was to be awarded a contract, only 95.76 kilometers have been awarded a contract to Labipur in Sunsari.
An agreement was signed on 2 Kartik 080 for the 95-kilometer road expansion and the construction of a bridge on it. Although the contract was awarded on 2 Kartik 080, the work started late. The contract was awarded for two sections, the eastern section and the western section. The eastern section included a 45-kilometer stretch from Kakadbhitta in Jhapa to Sitapuri in Kamal Rural Municipality in the district, while the 50.76-kilometer stretch from Kerkha to Labipur in Sunsari was called the western section.
A contract was awarded for the construction of roads and small culverts in the eastern section under Package 1. Engineer Ashray Mahat of the Kakadbhitta-Laukahi Road Project Office (Eastern Section) informed that 31 percent of the work has been completed.
According to him, only 22 percent of the work on the bridges over the Kankai, Ninda and Biring rivers in the eastern section has been completed. ‘The work should be completed by Magh 2083.’ However, due to lack of necessary materials, problems in moving electricity poles in urban areas, etc., the work has not progressed as expected,' he said, 'However, efforts are ongoing to complete the project on time.'
According to him, although the project aims to blacktop the first phase of 30 kilometers of the road by Ashad, only 5 kilometers have been blacktopped so far. That too in two lanes only.
In the eastern section, the Kovech-CREGC-Tundy JV has won the contract for the construction of bridges over Kankai, Ninda and Biring rivers at Rs 5.97 billion, while the Evercon-Kalika JV has won the contract for the construction of the road at Rs 10.6 billion.
Similarly, the 50.76 kilometer road from Sitapuri in Jhapa to Labipur in Sunsari, which is divided into the western section, is also not progressing as expected. Jagat Prajapati, the chief planner of the Kakadbhitta-Laukahi Road Project (Western Section), informed that the western section, which includes 10 kilometers in Jhapa, 35 kilometers in Morang, and 5 kilometers in Sunsari, has been awarded contracts in three packages.
According to him, the 40-kilometer road from Sitapuri in Jhapa to Gothgaun in Morang was awarded contracts in one package. The progress of which is 30 percent. Similarly, the 10.76-kilometer road from Gothgaun to Labipur in Sunsari was awarded contracts in another package. The progress of which is only 15 percent. ‘This package includes major cities like Itahari. Where the relocation of electricity poles is taking a long time. Which has affected the road construction,’ says Prajapati, the chief planner, ‘Out of the more than two thousand poles that need to be relocated, not even 500 poles have been relocated so far.’
