August 13: Almost a decade into construction, the Bhaktapur-Nagarkot road has yet to be completed. The road has potholes everywhere and blacktopping work has been stalled in the area from the Kharipati barracks of the Nepalese Army to the front of the Changu Narayan Municipality office.

The road has cracks in many places posing a risk of landslide especially along the turn at the barracks. The road turns muddy during monsoon and dusty during the dry season affecting the people residing on the road sides. The solid water from the unmanaged drainage enters the houses on the roadsides. A person died in the course of the construction of the road in the Bastola settlement. 

Project completion deadline extended for ninth time

Started in June, 2014 with the target of completing the work within two years, the project deadline has been extended for the ninth time so far. According to the latest deadline extended on 19 July, 2023, the project should be completed by 14 January, 2024, said sub engineer Sumita Dhukuchhu of the Bhaktapur-Nagarkot Road Planning Office, who is assigned to test the quality of the road.    

“Work on around 500 meters of road remains to be completed. The construction company has pledged to repair the damaged road, and hand the project over after completion in two months,” she said.

Shailung Construction and Indian Aravali Infrapower Limited jointly won the contract to undertake the project at the initial cost of Rs 270 million provided by the Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) as loans. But the project cost has now reached Rs 310 million including VAT, she said.

Around five months ago, the Road Improvement and Development Project Directorate under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport had issued a notice warning to terminate the contract within 14 days if the 15.6 km road is not completed within the deadline. During a monitoring on 2 March, 2023, then Deputy Prime Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha had warned of canceling the contract if the construction company failed to complete the project within 13 April, 2023. On the occasion, Ambassador of India to Nepal Naveen Srivastava was also present.

Monitoring of the project

A team of representatives of political parties and people's representatives led by Chief District Officer of Bhaktapur Khagendra Prasad Rijal, which recently monitored the road, concluded that the road construction is of poor quality.

On 14 November, 2021, then Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Renu Kumari Yadav had also monitored the project and warned of canceling the contract of the construction company if the project was not completed within two months.

During the monitoring by the two ministers, the locals had urged them to take initiatives for completing the project soon.

Earlier on 29 July, 2019, the Development and Technology Committee under the House of Representatives during a monitoring had asked the contractor to blacktop the road for the Visit Nepal, 2020.

Similarly, on 20 November, 2019, a team led by joint secretary Yam Lal Bhusal inspected the road at the directive of then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. Also, various separate teams involving then Minister for Physical Planning Basanta Nembang, then minister and lawmaker Mahesh Basnet, then mayor of Changunarayan Municipality Som Prasad Mishra, the municipality mayor Jiban Khatri and deputy mayor Ramesh Budhathoki time and again inspected the project, and assured of the project completion soon.

A team led by then municipality mayor Mishra had a separate meeting with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and then PMs Sher Bahadur Deuba and Oli demanding the completion of the road soon. "We met and submitted a memorandum to PMs and ministers demanding the road completion soon but to no avail. I feel the contractor is more powerful than the government," he said.

Although the project nears completion, it requires repair before completion due to low quality work on blacktopping, said CDO Rijal. He said pressure would be put on the construction company to complete the project before the upcoming Dashain festival that is taking place in more than three months this year.

. Political leaders and local people including Rastriya Prajatantra Party central deputy general secretary Rabindra Pratap Shah and district chairperson of the Nepal Workers Peasants Party Nhuchhe Bhakta Phoju have demanded action against the construction company.

Ward-6 chair of the municipality demanded the completion of the project before the Nagarkot Road Festival that is taking place before Dashain.

The project’s sub engineer Sadhana Tiwari has blamed the Nepalese Army for not allowing the construction of a drainage system which has caused the release of the water from the drainage at Ghumaune into the road. Similarly, the release of the wastewater from Shivashikhar cooperative, and from various factories in the area into the road has caused potholes while landslides at the U-turn caused by land plotting have halted the road construction from time to time.

A small drainage system built by the municipality along the feeder roads, and the deposition of river materials along the road damaged the road, she said, adding that there is also a risk of the water flowing into the road when the culverts are filled.

Anup Adhikari, the project manager of Shailung Construction, said the project deadline was extended as per the Public Procurement Regulations (12th Amendment), and the project would be handed over after completion within two months. Electricity poles at the Nagarkot Bus Park should be moved, and for this, payments have been made to the Nepal Electricity Authority. Remaining construction work will be completed shortly after the poles are moved, he said. -- RSS