Nepal's Narayangadh-Butwal road expansion still in progress, Chinese company finishes 25 pc in 4 yrs

Kathmandu [Nepal], March 4 : The expansion work of Nepal's Narayangadh-Butwal road section along the East-West Highway, carried out by a Chinese contractor, has only made 25 per cent progress so far, reported a Nepali website Pardafas.
The road widening project, which began in November 2019 was scheduled to be completed in mid-July 2022 but saw gloomy progress even as four years have passed, since the project's inception.
Owing to the lacklustre attitude of the responsible agencies to monitor and disinterest in implementation, the work is yet to catch the expected pace. The contract will be terminated if the construction work is not finished within the allotted time limit, according to a previous notification released by the road department, Pardafas reported.
The road department, however, has lost its rigidity and is unable to move on with the project. Due to the Chinese contractor's failure to complete the work on schedule and in accordance with the contract, the road is littered with potholes, which not only slows down traffic but also increases the risk of accidents.
According to a report in Pardafas, the Director General of the Department, Arjun Jung Thapa, said that despite numerous opportunities to work given to the construction company, it has been shirking its responsibilities. However, he said nothing about moving forward with the process of action against the company.
"The work has advanced at a languid pace," Thapa said, adding that the decision to extend the deadline will be reconsidered.
Kwang Silk Park, the team leader of the consultant working on the Naryangadh-Butwal road expansion project said that the widening of the road has been delayed because of challenges brought on by the Covid pandemic, falling of trees on road, shifting of electricity poles and an insufficient mobilisation of equipment.
The road expansion work has been impacted by the closure of the crusher industry in the district. "In the initial stage, there was a delay in many important works like deployment of equipment, delay in permission from the park and forest for cutting trees, delay in moving the electricity poles," he added.
The Chinese contractor began the road expansion project in November 2019. The road widening project, along the 114 km Butwal-Narayanghant segment, one of the busiest highways along the East-West Highway, began with a Rs 17 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank, Pardafas reported.