Kathmandu. KATHMANDU: The contractor of the Beni-Jomsom-Korala road section of Kaligandaki corridor linking China and India has been terminated. The Beni-Jomsom-Korala Road Project Office shared that the 17-km road section linking Kowang Khanti of Thasang rural municipality of Mustang to Jomsom Bazaar via Tukuche and Marpha remained in limbo for the past nine years.

Tejaswi Sharma, chief of the project, said that a new process has been initiated to complete the project by terminating the contract with the contractor Pappu-Gauri Parbati Koshi and Neupane. “The contract was terminated as per Clause 59 (70) of the Public Procurement Act, 2063 as the company failed to comply with its commitment and terms even after 200 days of the expiry of the deadline of the contract,” he said, adding, “We will forward a new process to complete the remaining work of the Kowang-Jomsom section which has achieved 85 per cent physical progress.” ”

The contract agreement was signed with the company on May 22, 2017 for widening the road, constructing walls, drains and blacktopping and casting of oxphalt technology at the rate of 11 meters width. Out of the 11 road upgrading projects, only the Kowang-Jomsom section has remained in limbo for upgrading the 202-km road from Maldhunga of Parbat to Korala of Mustang via Myagdi.

According to the project, the penalty amount has been fixed at 0.05 percent of the total contract agreement cost before terminating the contract. Similarly, 400 meters of blacktopping and 300 meters of RCC slope are yet to be constructed at Tukuche of Thasang rural municipality. Likewise, about 1,200 meters of the upper part of the bridge over Marfa Rajkhola is yet to be blacktopped.

Around 500 meters of the road from the top of the Puthang Airport to the Nepal Army barracks is yet to be structured and blacktopped. In other places, blacktopping and slope have already been done. Tourists, locals, vehicles and pedestrians have been facing inconvenience due to lack of blacktopping of Kobang-Jomsom road.