The under-construction bridge over the Chandi River in Chandrapur Municipality-3 of the district has become an example of the contractor's negligence and government apathy. Nine years after the construction agreement, which was to be completed in 2 years, the bridge is still incomplete. As a result, the dream of the residents of the Gaindatar area in Chure to reach the district headquarters and main market by crossing the bridge has not been fulfilled.

This bridge, which connects Chure with the plains, is the 'lifeline' of the district. When there is a flood, communication with the rest of the Gaindatar area is cut off. Locals who believed that the bridge would be completed on time are angry. In protest, on 14 Jestha 2080, the residents of Gaindatar sat on a 'relay hunger strike' under the abandoned bridge. To create pressure for the construction of the abandoned bridge, the locals formed a struggle committee and went on a hunger strike demanding the transfer of the then chief of the Road Division Office Chandranigahpur, Daroga Prasad Sah, contractor Dayaram Sah and the concerned engineer and cancellation of the contract.

Before going on a hunger strike, they had submitted memorandums to the Road Division Office three times. Despite pressure from the locals, the construction company is currently working at a snail's pace. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) MP Ganesh Poudel reached the site where the bridge is being constructed and requested the contractor and the division chief to complete the work quickly. 'This bridge is not only a physical structure, but also the lifeline of the residents of Gaindatar and their trust in the state,' he said. 'It is sad that the local administration, people's representatives and the Road Division Office are not serious even when a development project is abandoned for years.'

Govinda Timalsina, the chairman of the Sangharsh Samiti formed to pressure the construction company to show that it is working at a snail's pace, said. 'We submitted memorandums repeatedly. We were forced to go on hunger strike after not getting any results,' he said. 'Despite the hunger strike and memorandums, the construction of the bridge was not completed. I don't know how many more days it will take.' He said that the Road Division Office did not take the huge pressure from the citizens seriously.

The then Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Kulman Ghising, had called contractor Dayaram Sah to the construction site on Poush 23 and asked for an explanation. He had instructed the contractor to complete the work soon. Contractor Sah had assured that the work would be completed by mid-Asard. Pappu Shivshankar JV had signed a contract agreement for the construction of the bridge. The construction of an 11-span bridge at a total cost of Rs 253.624 crore was started under contract number 53. The construction company had committed to complete the construction of the bridge by Asad 11, 2074 and hand it over to the government by Asad 11, 2076.

The Road Division had extended the deadline for the fifth time until mid-Asad of the current fiscal year. Even as the last extension deadline was about to expire, the progress of the work is not satisfactory. Road Division Chief Arun Kumar Lalkarna informed that the bridge construction work is being carried out at a snail's pace. 'It is not likely to be completed by mid-Asad,' he said. 'The contractor is delaying, we have said that the work should be completed within the deadline.' The office has stated that 80 percent progress has been made so far. The office has made preparations to extend the deadline if the work is not completed by mid-Asad.

Due to the lack of a bridge, the citizens of Chandrapur-3 Gaindatar and the surrounding areas are forced to cross the river at their own risk. Locals are suffering from serious problems such as not being able to take them to the hospital when they fall ill, and not being able to find a market for local products. After the construction work was not completed as per the agreement, the deadline was extended for one and a half years for the first time as per the General Procurement Regulations (Ninth Amendment). According to the extended deadline, the construction work was to be completed by December 14, 2077, but the contractor was unable to complete the work, citing various excuses including Corona and lockdown. The deadline was extended for the second time by six months as per the decision of Magh 11, 2077, citing the cause of Covid-19. The contractor did not work during that period either. Even though the road was extended for the third time until mid-June 2079, the work was not completed.

Contractor Sah has been saying that the construction work could not be completed as per the agreement due to financial constraints, rain, lack of construction materials and various other reasons. Contractor Sah said that the work has been delayed due to many problems including financial shortage. ‘The work will be completed by mid-Asar,’ he said, ‘Let’s see what happens now! I will do it as soon as possible.’ The contractor company that was given the responsibility of constructing the Chandi River bridge has been making various technical and practical excuses from the beginning. Sometimes, the work has been postponed by giving prepared answers like lack of construction materials, sometimes river flow, and sometimes lack of budget allocation. The road department said that the contractor has only left the work of 2 spans and railings.

The situation of the other five bridges is similar

Earlier, the Road Division Chandranigahapur had canceled the contracts for 13 roads and bridges contracted in the district, saying that they had not worked as per the agreement. Pappu Construction and Rautahat’s Shivshankar JV have taken the contracts for five bridges in this district. All of them are stranded in the name of construction.