Rukum West, Sept. 26; Construction of a motorable bridge in Rukum West, which was supposed to be completed within three years, has finally been completed after eight years. 

The Garaghat Bridge under Rapti Highway connects Musikot Municipality-1 and Bafikot Rural Municipality-10. 

The bridge over the Sani Bheri River was recently inaugurated by Janardan Sharma, Deputy General Secretary of the CPN (Maoist Centre), former Finance Minister and current member of the House of Representatives.

 While inaugurating the bridge, Sharma said that despite the delay, the bridge would contribute to economic development and facilitate transportation services. He said that the Rapti Highway would ease the economic activities of locals. 

Sharma also addressed the issue of constitutional amendment raised by the ruling parties in the centre. He said that any amendment that cuts the rights of the people would be unacceptable. He said that constitutional amendments could strengthen aspects such as nationality and inclusiveness if implemented with national consensus. Furthermore, he said that the current government should continue the anti-corruption efforts initiated by the previous government under the leadership of the CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, to ensure good governance in the country.

The contract for the Garaghat Bridge was awarded to Nagarjun Construction Company through the Road Division Office in Chaurjahari at Rs. 85 million in the fiscal year 2015/16.

According to Tejashwi Sharma, division chief of the Road Division Office, the initial design of the bridge was based on a ‘pile’ foundation. However, it was later discovered that a permanent bridge was not feasible with this foundation at that location, leading to a redesign using an ‘open’ foundation. After the design change, the construction work accelerated and the bridge was successfully completed. 

He informed that the current bridge was built using a pre-stressed model with a length of 80 metres at a cost of Rs. 96 million. 

The construction company previously informed that delays were due to the change in the foundation design, as well as challenges in material transportation and worker mobilisation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues. 

Absence of a bridge over the Bheri River had posed significant challenges for locals in commuting and transporting daily essentials. Now that the bridge is complete, it is expected to significantly ease these difficulties. Residents are particularly pleased, as the bridge will simplify travel from the district headquarters to Bafikot Rural Municipality, Aathbiskot Municipality, and towards Dolpa, as well as improve access to Musikot, the district headquarters.