The road from Kamala in Siraha to Kanchanpur in Saptari, which has been expanding to four lanes since 2077 BS, is being built at such a slow pace that it remains incomplete even after five years, which was supposed to be completed in three years.
What you should know
Goods are visible in shops along the East-West Highway in Mirchaiya, the commercial center of Siraha. However, customers rarely come. Customers who come to the shop often leave. The reason is that even the new goods kept in the shop look old due to dust.
Bilat Mahato, 52, of Lahan Municipality-13, who was cycling from Lahan to his daughter in Bandipur, reached Mirchaiya with his body and clothes covered in dust. Not only in Mirchaiya, but also from Kamala in Siraha to Kanchanpur in Saptari, the road is not only affected by dust. Not only because of dust, but even when it rains a little, this road is not suitable for travel.
Vehicles and passengers on this section of the East-West Highway are unrecognizable due to mud and dust. This problem of dust and mud has not been going on for a month or two, but for five years. The section of the highway from Kamala in Siraha to Kanchanpur in Saptari has been expanding into four lanes since 2077 BS. The construction work is going on at such a slow pace that this highway, which was supposed to be completed in three years, is still incomplete after more than five years.
The Chinese construction company China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group was awarded the contract for the expansion of this section on Kartik 13, 2077 for Rs 15.66 billion. The work of expanding the highway is being done by dividing it into two sections, western and eastern.
According to which, the western section covers 47.40 kilometers from Kamala in Siraha to Kusaha in Saptari, while the eastern section covers 39.42 kilometers from Kusaha to Kanchanpur. According to the agreement with the government, this highway, which is 86.82 kilometers long, should have been completed by Kartik 11, 2080. However, after the contractor company did not complete the work on the specified date, the government extended the deadline for the first time until Poush 10, 2081.
The government extended the deadline for the construction company for the second time until Poush 16, 2082. However, with only about two months left to complete the second extended deadline, one-third of the work remains to be done. According to the Kanchanpur Kamala Road Project, West Section, the physical progress of this section so far is 67 percent.
Even if the work is not completed within the time given by the government, if the work is done properly, the work can be completed by Asad of the next fiscal year, says Ujjwal Shrestha, Chief of the Kanchanpur Kamala Road Project West Section. ‘If the work is done properly, the work will be completed by Asad of the current fiscal year, if not, it is not possible to say,’ Shrestha said, ‘We have continuously harassed the contractor, but sometimes the problem is with them, sometimes with us.’
According to him, there are mainly four problems in the failure to complete the highway expansion work on time. The main problems are the stakeholders not removing the poles and other structures within the highway area on time, the shortage of river-related materials, the contractor company not being able to provide sufficient funds as promised, and the locals repeatedly misbehaving with Chinese workers. Shrestha said that the main problems are the failure of stakeholders to remove the poles and other structures within the highway area on time.
He complains that the Nepal Electricity Authority has always been reluctant to remove the electricity poles even though they started clearing the highway area immediately after the contract agreement for the highway expansion was signed. According to him, 15 poles in Lahan, 60 in Golbazar and 21 in Choharwa are yet to be moved. Due to similar problems, work has been going on and off on this highway since Chhath.
In the meantime, the work came to a standstill when the contractor company did not send the money for the work and work resumed after sending the money, said Shrestha. ‘Despite our repeated requests, sometimes the poles are not removed, sometimes they are mistreated, and sometimes they themselves are slow,’ he said, ‘This is a project of national pride, we are mainly in the role of coordinator, everyone’s support and cooperation is necessary in this.’
The office has stated that about 31.5 kilometers of the road out of 47.40 kilometers in the western section have been blacktopped. Similarly, out of 25 bridges to be constructed in this section, the slope work has been completed in all 25 and railings, painting and other works are yet to be done.
According to the office, one overpass and three underpasses will be constructed in Lahan, while one overpass will be constructed in Mirchaiya and one underpass in Golbazar. Of these, the construction of overpasses and underpasses has been started in Mirchaiya and Lahan. Although there are two underpasses in the design in Golbazar, there is a demand from the locals to build only one and therefore the work has not been able to proceed.
64 percent work in the eastern section
The Kanchanpur Kamala Road Project Eastern Section has stated that 64 percent physical progress has been made so far in the eastern section towards Saptari. Out of the 39.42 kilometers in this section, about 20 kilometers of the road has been blacktopped at various places on both sides, said the office's chief, Niraj Shakya. Similarly, out of 30 bridges to be constructed in this section, 28 have already completed the slope work and are yet to be completed with railings, painting, etc. . Two bridges are under construction ‘Due to the dust and mud on the road, few customers come, and even if they do, they do not buy goods after seeing the dust,’ says Bharat Mahaseth, a businessman from Mirchaiya. ‘Businessmen have reached a point where they cannot even pay the rent for their houses.’
Similarly, due to the lack of a highway, accidents have increased in this section, and respiratory, skin, and eye diseases have also increased due to the smoke and dust. Doctors say that the pollution caused by the smoke reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood of people and this has a long-term effect on the heart and brain. ‘There is not a day when people do not come to the hospital after accidents on this highway. On the other hand, respiratory, eye, and skin diseases also come, this is because of the smoke and dust,’ says Dr. Sarika Goit, a doctor at Mirchaiya Hospital. ‘If it continues like this, it will have a long-term effect on the heart and brain of people.’
