Head. The construction of the Kanchanpur-Kamala road section along the East-West Highway that was stalled for the past three months has been resumed.

The overpass work, which was halted since the last week of June, has resumed from October 7. Although 26 pile foundations have been constructed at a depth of 35 meters of the overpass being constructed at Lahan main chowk, delay in construction of other structures has left the chowk area in disarray. Dambar Ghimire, a local entrepreneur, said, “The halt in the construction has disrupted the vehicular movement and it has been difficult to carry out business due to the dust and mud.” ’

Although a diversion has been arranged for one-way vehicles after the demolition of the memorial, the risk of accidents, dust and mud has affected normal life. Locals had also staged vehicular strike in June. The construction company is China Railway-2 Engineering Group.

According to Saroj Kumar Koirala, information officer of the Kanchanpur-Kamala Road Expansion Project (CKPPL), the delay in the construction of the road section is due to local protests, festivals and heavy rainfall. He said, “The construction of the road has been delayed due to the necessity of carrying out other works without the foundation of the underpass, overpass and the pile foundation of the sky bridge.” ’

He also said that the work has been further affected as the electric poles on the road have not been removed on time. The length of the overpass will be 550 meters, the ground clearance will be 6 meters and the height will meet the international standard.

The contract for the upgradation of 86.83 kilometers road from Kanchanpur of Saptari to Kamala River in Siraha was signed in 2020 at a cost of Rs 15.66 billion.

So far, 112 culverts and 25 bridges have been constructed and 12 bridges have been opened for vehicular traffic. However, with two months left for the deadline, the overall progress has been only 67 percent, according to the contractor.