Head. The deadline for the expansion and up-gradation of the Kanchanpur-Kamala road, which has been forwarded as a project of transformational pride, is about two months left to expire. The construction progress so far is only 67 per cent.

The project was awarded to China Railway Company-2 Engineering Group in 2020 with the aim of upgrading the road and expanding it to four lanes.

The project, which was started at a cost of Rs 15.66 billion, has been extended twice as the deadline could not be completed by October 28, 2023. The first time he has been given a term of 14 months and the second time he has been given a term of 12 months. As per the current agreement, the company has to complete the work by December 31, 2025.

The road construction work is being carried out by dividing it into two sections, east and west. The eastern section stretches from Kanchanpur to Kushaha (39.42 km) while the western section stretches from Kushaha to Kamala River (47.41 km). The work in the Lahan area, especially in the western section, is going on at a very slow pace.

According to Engineer Saroj Kumar Koirala, information officer of the project west, other works could not be forwarded due to lack of construction of some major structures. “The main obstacles are the construction of structures like underpass, overpass and pile foundation of overbridges. This compulsion has delayed the work. ’

According to Koirala, the construction of the road has been further delayed as the poles of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) have not been removed on time. He also complained that the poles in the northern part of the Lahan area have not been removed despite repeated requests.

Due to the delay in the construction, we have been facing the problem of dust and mud for years. The area around the main chowk of Lahan has been thrown into chaos and business has also been affected. The risk of dust, mud and accidents is high even if one-way vehicles are plying through the diversion constructed by demolishing the martyr’s memorial. As a result, locals had resorted to vehicular strike in June.

The construction work of the underpass of Mirchaiya and the pile foundation of the overpass of Lahan has been resumed from October 7. The company has been saying that it has incurred financial losses due to increased costs.

The company’s officials have returned to China after the construction talks scheduled for September 24 were postponed due to protests at the local level. The Department of Roads is currently coordinating for the discussion.

According to the latest quarterly report made public by the Mirchaiya-based Western Section Office, only 30.85 kilometers of the 39.42 kilometers road has been blacktopped till mid-July.