The road blacktopping work of the Kailali and Kanchanpur sections of the Sudurpaschim under the Postal Highway, which is considered the backbone of the southern part of the Terai Madhes from east to west, is still pending.

The Satti-Bhajani-Dhangadhi and Lamki-Tikapur-Khakraula sections of Kailali and the Dokebajar-Belauri-Beldandi-Daiji sections of Kanchanpur fall on the Postal Highway. Even after the contract agreement for blacktopping of these three roads was signed and the deadline was extended several times in the last 10 years, the work is still incomplete. In some places, blacktopping has been completed, while in others it is still pending. Not only passengers and businessmen, but also locals living near the roads have been suffering for a long time due to the construction company's failure to work on time.

As the work on the highway remains incomplete, the residents here are forced to travel through dust, mud and potholes. The poor condition of the road has affected not only transportation but also business, health services and educational activities. Paramananda Bhatta, a resident of Belauri, said that the condition of the road has been a problem for years. Saraswati Joshi, a local of Belauri, said that it is difficult to stay indoors due to dust. ‘Even taking patients to the hospital through this road is risky.’ How many more years will it take to build this road?,’ she said.

Radhika Sunar of Beldandi complained that the state has neglected to complete this road. ‘The road has been incomplete for many years. Development was only talked about in speeches. It was never seen in action. How long will the trend of remembering the people’s suffering only when elections come continue?’ she said.

Despite repeated extensions of the deadline for blacktopping the postal road, the work remains incomplete even after 10 years of the contract. The contract has not been completed even after the contract deadline was extended seven times. Besides the construction work, the contract for the Belauri-Beldandi 20-kilometer section of Kanchanpur was terminated in November last year after the construction company could not be contacted.

According to the Postal Highways Directorate, Planning Office, Dhangadhi Kailali, the work has not been completed even after 10 years of the contract due to the negligence of the construction companies. According to Pramod Chaudhary, an engineer at the office, the contract for the Belauri-Beldandi 20-kilometer section was terminated in November last year after it was not completed despite seven extensions. 'Despite repeated extensions, the work did not progress. We were forced to terminate the contract after the company itself lost contact,' he said. But a new contract has not been opened even 5 months after the contract was terminated. On the contrary, the construction company has approached the court against the termination of the contract.

Border dispute further hampers 
The Indian Border Security Force (SSB) has been obstructing the approximately 1,700-meter section from Kalo Pul to Pachui in Belauri Municipality-8 of Kanchanpur for 7 years due to the strip map dispute. This has completely stopped the upgrading of the section.

Belauri Municipality-8 Ward Chairman Bishram Rana said that the federal government should resolve the border dispute . ‘The local level alone cannot do anything . If the federal government does not resolve it diplomatically and technically soon, we will have to become victims of transport services,’ he said, ‘It is not normal for Indian security personnel to not allow work for 7 years even though the land on Nepal’s map is owned by Nepalese for 7 decades, and the land title deeds are in the name of Nepali citizens. This dispute should be ended through diplomatic initiatives,’ he said.

According to government data, the overall physical progress of the Postal Highway in the Far West has reached 84 percent and the economic progress has reached 82 percent. But the condition of the main section is still incomplete. Of the 62-kilometer Dokebazar-Belauri-Beldandi-Daiji section in Kanchanpur, only 42 kilometers have been blacktopped, while 20 kilometers remain. Of that, 7.4 kilometers have not been blacktopped yet. Locals say that the old blacktop has worn off on the remaining 12.6 kilometers.