Chitwan. Under the Nagdhunga-Muglin road project, 33 per cent of the work on the Muglin-Malekhu road section of the western section has been completed. Out of the 38 kilometers of this road, blacktopping of 8 kilometers of four-lane road has been completed.

According to Kedar Prasad Nepal, chief of the western section, five kilometers have been blacktopped at one place in kurintar area while the rest have been blacktopped in different places. Preparations are being made to blacktop an additional eight kilometers of area. A concrete drain has been constructed on 25 kilometers of the road. The widening of the road has already been done in the area where drains have been constructed. Road widening work is yet to be completed in another eight kilometers.

Of the six bridges on the road section, the construction of the Gomti River bridge has been completed. Nepal said that the remaining three bridges are planned to be sloped by Mid-July. Work on two more bridges will be taken up once the rain is over. The work of lifting pillars has been done on these bridges.

The project has already distributed 70 per cent of the compensation. Out of the 400 electric poles, 303 have been shifted. During the rainy season, only the slope work of the bridge and the processing of construction materials are done. Nepal said that more work will be started after August.

A 2.2-km six-lane road will be constructed in this section, which falls in Malekhu, Benighat and Muglin sections. The four-lane road will be 7.2 kilometers. It will be enjoyed in Danda, Kurintar, Fisling, Chumling, Majhimatar, Charaudi and Bishaltar areas. A three-lane climbing lane will also be constructed in the ups and down sections, which will be 2.3 kilometers. The rest of the road will be dedicated to two lanes.

The contract was awarded on January 15, 2079 BS to complete the road within three years. The muglin-Nagdhunga road section under the Prithvi Highway has been called for bids by making three packages. This falls in the third package. This package includes 38.86 kilometers.

Sharma-ZICG has bagged the contract to upgrade this section at a cost of Rs 4.80 billion. Construction of drains, landslide prevention works, wall construction, road safety and other works have to be carried out in different areas of the road. This road has been built with the help of the World Bank.

This road is the main entry and exit point of Kathmandu. The work has been delayed due to the high pressure of vehicles on the road and difficulty in getting raw materials. At the same time, nepal said that the work was delayed due to the change in the design in the initial years.