Almost two months after the structures within the 25-meter area of ​​the Tribhuvan Highway were demolished for the expansion of the main road in Birgunj, the reconstruction process has not progressed. The remains of most of the demolished structures from Gandak to Miteri Bridge have not been removed yet, and the affected businessmen and homeowners are in confusion.

On April 20 and 21, the Division Road Office, Hetauda, ​​had removed about 1,200 structures from Gandak to Miteri Bridge. Some of them were government office buildings. The road was opened for expansion after the Supreme Court dismissed all five writ petitions filed against the road expansion on February 28.

But despite the demolition of the structures, the affected area has remained in disarray as road construction work has not started. Especially, homeowners from Ghantaghar to Maisthan Chowk have not removed the remains of the demolished structures. They still seem optimistic about the possibility of the road expansion being only 15 meters, not 25 meters.

The house of Kaushal Kishore Barnawal, a textile businessman from Ghantaghar, along with his shop, has been completely affected by the road expansion. 'On one hand, the shop has been demolished, on the other hand, all the houses are in danger of being demolished,' he said. 'If it is maintained at 25 meters, my land will not be left. If it is limited to 15 meters, I hope that some part can be saved.' He said that he is operating a business with limited goods inside the collapsed structure. 'Business has decreased significantly compared to before,' he said.

Shivam Sharma, the owner of 'Sharma Watch Company' in Ghantaghar, also said that he is operating his business from the collapsed building as there is no alternative. 'Since it is an ancestral business, I could not close it suddenly,' he said. 'Demolishing the structure and leaving it like this has reduced the movement of customers, which has had a big impact on business.'

According to local homeowner Kanhaiyalal Keshari, the homeowners have not been able to reach a decision as there is no clarity yet on the final form of the road expansion. 'The House Preservation Struggle Committee is still protesting,' he said, 'Many people hope that the expansion will be only 15-15 meters, so the work of removing the collapsed structures has also been stopped.'

According to him, some businessmen have shifted their business to Road No. 2 and Road No. 3. 'After the dozers were deployed, there has been no further activity from the Division Road Office,' he said, 'There is no clear provision for road construction in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Therefore, many homeowners are still in a wait-and-see situation.'

Locals say that the main market area of ​​Birgunj has become ugly due to the collapsed structures along the main road. Some traders are forced to operate their businesses from the collapsed buildings at night, protecting their goods.