KAVREPALANCHOWK, October 3
A motorable bridge under construction over the Sunkoshi River at Chehere, connecting Kavrepalanchowk and Sindhupalchok districts, remains stalled after six years due to the failure of the contractor to complete the work within the stipulated timeframe.
The bridge construction contract was signed in August/September 2020 to provide road access to various wards and settlements of Bhumlu Rural Municipality in eastern Kavrepalanchowk. However, the contractor’s delay has caused significant hardship for the residents of Bhumlu.
The contract was signed on August 26, 2020, between the Department of Roads and Amar Construction, with a completion deadline set for May 16, 2023. According to Department Engineer Niroj Maharjan, local residents have reported that the contractor continuously offered various excuses for delaying the work. Following the missed deadline, a department decision extended the contract timeline by 23 months and 25 days on May 2, 2024. Despite the extension, the contractor has failed to resume work effectively.
The project was awarded at a contract value of NPR 110.74 million (including VAT). To date, only three pillars have been erected and a single span has been prepared on the Kavrepalanchowk side.
Lekh Bahadur Shrestha, Ward Chairperson of Bhumlu Rural Municipality-1, stated that the incomplete bridge continues to cause severe inconvenience to local citizens. “Due to the lack of a bridge, residents are forced to travel over 15 kilometers, whereas completing the bridge would reduce the distance to just four kilometers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Badan Bhandari, a Member of Parliament from Kavrepalanchowk, recently inspected the stalled construction site and assured locals that he would take initiatives to resume and expedite the bridge construction.
Rastriya Samachar Samiti
