Nepal
The construction works on the Baglung-Akshyate-Ghodabandhe section have come to a grinding halt as the contractor responsible for blacktopping the 12-km road stretch has remained out of contact.
Ramkaji Shrestha, the chief of the Shrestha Construction and Transport Service, has been out of contact for over a month.
The contract for the blacktopping was initially awarded to Surya Construction in the fiscal year 2072/73. It was later awarded to Shrestha Construction. However, Shrestha Construction has not completed half the blacktopping work.
It has been more than 25 years since the highway track was opened. Even a decade has elapsed since the contract for blacktopping was signed.
With the road section in shambles, locals have been facing the ordeal of dust and mud on the road.
Harilal Kandel, a local, said people here are compelled to migrate to other areas due to dust and mud. He added that the roadside houses had been covered in dust in the winter and mud in the summer.
"Bihun is the pocket area for orange. The production has declined due to the messy road condition. The fruits in the tree are covered in dust. Such produce does not get a good price in the market," he complained.
Though the Baglung-Akshyate section has witnessed some progress, blacktopping has stagnated along the road stretching from Akshyate to Ghodabandhe.
Harilal blamed the government's inability to take action against the erring contractor for the present situation.
Former ward chair of Kathekhola Rural Municipality-5, Shiva Prasad Kandel, said works on the Mid-hill Highway stagnated after the contractor went incommunicado more than a month ago.
"We have repeatedly urged the local administration, highway office and the contractor for the completion of blacktopping. But no one has heeded our calls," he said.
The Baglung section constitutes 142 km of the 1,776-km Mid-hill Highway. Only 12 km of the Baglung section remains to be blacktopped.
The office of the Mid-hill Highway said the road section would be blacktopped in mid-July.
With RSS inputs
