The Mid-Hill Highway is 54 kilometers east of Rukum and 77 kilometers west of it. Except for this location in the east and 9 meters in Ranikot and 260 meters in Kiteni in the west, all the roads are blacktopped.
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The construction work has not been completed even after 9 years since the contract was signed to blacktop the section of the Mid-Hill Highway that borders Baglung. The 13-kilometer road from Rupga to Pathihalne in Bhume Rural Municipality-1 has been left unfinished after only half of the work was completed.
According to the Mid-Hill Highway Project Office, Dailekh, the Bharat-Mahadev Khimti-Siddhishahi JV was given the responsibility of the work in 2073 BS for a total of 420 million rupees, including blacktop and slope construction in some places. The work, as per the agreement, was to be completed after three years, that is, in 2076 BS, but the work has been left in disarray even after 6 more years. According to an engineer from the project office, 76 percent physical progress has been made on the section so far. 'Road cutting, drainage construction, retaining walls and slope construction in some places have been done.' But due to the lack of continuity in the work, the progress made at that time is now in a dilapidated state,' says the engineer. 'The deadline has been extended five times so far. In last Bhadra, a sixth extension was requested for 2083 BS. But the possibility of the deadline being extended again is low.'
If the deadline is not extended or if the work is not completed within the specified time, the engineer says that the office will seek an explanation and proceed with the process of terminating the contract if there is no satisfactory response. ‘The office is personally angry when it is asked why the work is not done, so the engineer even requested that his name not be mentioned in the news.’
‘It is very difficult to terminate the contract and enter into a new contract.’ However, we are working regularly on behalf of the office,’ he said.
Rukum is 54 kilometers east of the Mid-Hill Highway and 77 kilometers west of it. Except for this place in the east and 9 meters in Ranikot and 260 meters in Kiteni in the west, all the roads have been blacktopped.
Balman Budha, a local from Rukum East, said that it is difficult to travel in these three places, especially in the Rupga-Pathihalne section that has been abandoned for blacktop. ‘Rather, it would be easier to travel on a dirt road that has been dug up once.’ However, it would be difficult to travel on a road that has been abandoned while being built,’ he added, ‘Snow in winter and mud in rain make travel difficult. The contractor who took over immediately had to do the work or sign a new contract. How can this happen!’
Vehicles from Rukum West and East, as well as Jajarkot and Dolpa, travel to Pokhara and Kathmandu through this road. In addition, this road has been developing as an important route connecting the hilly and mountainous districts of the west in the last few years. Therefore, there is a demand from consumers to complete the road work in various places where the construction has not been completed, including the Rukum section, as soon as possible.
The Rupga-Pathihalne road section of the Mid-Hill Highway, which was contracted to be blacktopped 9 years ago but was left unfinished during construction, is located in Rukum East. Photo: Mahesh KC/Kantipur
