Khotang, Jan. 25: Three decades have passed since the construction of the Sagarmatha Lokmarga began, yet the blacktopping remains incomplete.The then Prime Minister, Manamohan Adhikari, laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Sagarmatha Lokmarga (highway) in 1995.

Sanjib Kumar Mishra, head of the Gaighat-Diktel Road Office in Udayapur, said that even after three decades since the commencement of road construction, not even 30 km of the road has been paved. The delay in the construction is because of the contractor company, he added.

Contracts were awarded at different stages for the road from Gaighat to Diktel under the Lokmarga project. However, owing to the construction company’s negligence, the road is now at a standstill. If the work had been done as agreed, it would be smooth. Now, it is slippery in the rain and dusty in winter, causing issues for vehicles, he informed.

The contract was given for two sections of the 49 km Mahure-Phoksingtar road in Khotang, under the Gaighat-Diktel section. The Udayapur-based Gaighat-Diktel road office said that the construction company has not fulfilled its obligations even three years after the contract expired. As a result, the process of reopening the tender has now begun, following the termination of the previous contract.

Debnarayan Pawan-Mainachuli-Khampache JV secured the contract for the Simpani Bhanjyang to Phoksingtar section, covering 27 km out of the two sections. The agreement, signed on July 26, 2016, mandated the completion of paving by July 25, 2020, for Rs. 558 million.

The contract was canceled in January 2022 as the physical progress was below 50 per cent even after the deadline. The construction company challenged the termination in the Patan High Court. After an interim order was issued in the initial hearing, the process of canceling the contract was halted.

Mishra informed that a few months ago, the court upheld the decision to terminate the contract after dismissing the contractor’s writ. As a result, the process of reopening the tender has now been initiated.

After the office decided to terminate the contract, the construction company filed a writ in court and began blacktopping some parts of the road near Foksingtar Bridge. However, the road is currently in a derelict condition.

Similarly, Bharat Construction-Siddhi Shahi undertook the road paving task for the 22 km road from Mahure to Rajapani section at Rs. 415 million. The agreement, signed on July 14, 2016, stipulated completion by July 13, 2020.

Mishra said that the contract was terminated due to prolonged non-completion. The company has left the work in a crumbling condition since January 2023.

Mishra explained that the contract was terminated when blacktop work did not commence even three and a half years beyond the deadline. He said that they asked the Department of Road to terminate the contract last October, but the department officially terminated it just a week ago.

Mishra informed that both contracts for the road section towards Udayapur have been terminated. Following the termination, the process of reopening the tender for the Mahure-Foksingtar road section has been initiated.

“The estimates have been prepared, and the file has been forwarded to the department. If there is an agreement to utilise the existing savings, a new tender will be called,” he added.“We have sought permission to initiate a new tender. The entire contracted amount from before has not been utilised. If the Ministry of Finance approves spending the remaining amount, we will commence the work after issuing the new tender. In total, four contracts for the Gaighat-Diktel section have been terminated. However, the funds allocated several years ago are insufficient for reopening the tender at present,” Mishra added.

According to Mishra, due to a nearly double cost caused by increased prices, a new tender will be initiated for the road from Foksingtar to Mahure towards Khotang using the adjusted amount. The budget for the road towards Udayapur will need to be re-evaluated. Considering some landslide-prone areas, discussions are underway to revise the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the road towards Udayapur.

Bhupendra Rai, Provincial Assembly Member for Khotang ‘B’ and General Secretary of the Koshi Province Committee of Nepali Congress, said that now that the estimates for the Mahure-Foksingtar road have been prepared and submitted to the Department of Road, the tender will be reopened shortly.

“The road department has the file now, and we will invite a new tender after getting approval from the Ministry of Finance to use the existing funds. We are confident about getting the permission. Currently, we are focused on the National Assembly elections. After the elections, we will approach the Ministry of Finance, secure the green signal, and then open the tender,” Rai said.

The short road connecting Khotang to the Tarai region has remained unpaved for an extended period, raising concerns among citizens. Despite the construction of a concrete bridge over the Sunkoshi River at the Khotang-Udayapur border, vehicle movement is challenging due to the muddy and unpaved condition of the road.