Baglung. The contractor has completed the agreement a year ago to complete the construction in April. The bridge was constructed a year ago at Rumta khola on the road connecting Kushmisera in the southern part of Baglung to Shantipur via Bareng.

Locals are happy that the problem of vehicles coming to a halt during the rainy season has ended due to lack of bridges. Vehicles have been operating from the bridge for the last one week.

Although the agreement for the construction of the bridge connecting the people of Jaimini Municipality-9 and 10 with kushmisera bazaar, the district headquarters, was till April 20, 2083, the agreement date has been prepared now. Preparations have been made to pull vehicles in the rainy season after the construction of the bridge reached the final stage. Suryodaya Construction Parbat, a construction company, has completed the construction of the bridge at a cost of Rs 60.9million.

Engineer at the District Infrastructure Development Office, Govinda Prasad Chaudhary, said that vehicles have been started operating from÷ the bridge as most of the works have been completed and the water level of the river has started rising in the rainy season. He informed that the road connected to the bridge has been repaired and brought into operation so that vehicles cannot be stopped in the rain. According to him, an agreement was signed on April 1, 2081 BS to complete the construction of the bridge within two years, but it was completed in one year.

“Vehicles have started plying in this rainy season, but normal work is pending, but vehicles have started operating due to the increase in the river. Although the Kusmisera-Bareng-Shantipur road was completed in 2065 BS, the people of Jaimini-9, Payu and 10 Rangkhani as well as the entire Bareng rural municipality had to face problems during the rainy season due to the absence of a bridge at Rumtakhola,” Chaudhary said. Earlier, the people of Jaimini-9 and 10 were cut off from contact with the district headquarters due to the suspension of traffic due to lack of bridges, he said.

After 17 years of the construction of the road, the construction of the bridge at Rumtakhola has made it easier for the locals from South Baglung to Shantipur in Gulmi. The Gandaki state government has constructed the bridge by awarding a contract through the Infrastructure Development Office. Out of the total cost of Rs 80 million 159 thousand 608, the construction company had taken the responsibility of the construction at a cost of Rs 60 million 946 thousand 367.

Ram Chhetri, a representative of the construction company, said that the work was completed ahead of time due to honest work. He said that he has been working at a fast pace so that the people do not have to suffer in this rainy season. “We had expedited the work that we had entrusted to do in time,” he said, adding, “The work was not delayed due to proper mobilization of workers and availability of construction materials on time.” ’

Chhetri said that the work of filling machinery wall and gabin mesh around the bridge has reached the final stage. Although some work is left for the handing over of the bridge, there is no problem in plying the vehicles, he said.

Deputy Mayor of Jaimini Municipality, Harihar Sharma, said that the bridge will facilitate thousands of people of Jaimini Municipality, Bareng Rural Municipality and Gulmi. “Suryodaya Construction has constructed the bridge before the agreement in Jaimini Municipality, which is facing extreme delay from the contractors,” he said.

Although the upper section of the road has been blacktopped at Rangkhani-Bareng, the lower section of the Kusmisera-Rangkhani section remains in limbo. Deputy Mayor Sharma said that the road could not be blacktopped even after the deadline for blacktopping was extended for the fourth time.