Kavrepalanchok. The construction work of the under-graded Dhulikhel-Khawa road section of the Araniko Highway in Kavre has remained closed for the past two months.

According to the Division Road Office, Bhaktapur, although the traffic was closed during the night and blacktopped during the daytime last March, it remained closed due to lack of bitumen.

The two-way road from Dhulikhel Chowk was paved in the first phase. Senior divisional engineer Suman Yogesh, chief of the office, said that due to the shortage of bitumen for the past two months, the work of cementing the remaining cements and blacktopping of DBM in the first phase is still pending. According to him, although it was planned to start from the third week of April for the construction of remaining four kilometers of the road, it has been halted for the past two months due to lack of raw materials.

Yogesh said that the remaining potholes are being filled to make the remaining distance easier to facilitate the journey. Yogesh said that the remaining 1.5 km of the road will be paved in the second phase after importing bitumen. A base of 20 centimeters thick cement will be laid on the gravel and two phases of blacktopping, DBM and asphal blacktopping will be done. The renovation work was expedited after an agreement was signed with a new construction company last November for the expansion work, which was stalled for a long time due to the negligence of the contractors.

According to the office, the contract was signed with CNA1 Kali JV at Rs 31.56 crore excluding VAT. Yogesh said that the slope maintenance of the road and other minor works will be carried out after the blacktopping of the road is completed. The office had terminated the contract with the Gauri-Parbati Construction Service Company, citing that the road construction had not been completed on time.

After 11 months of the expiry of the contract, the office has terminated the contract with the construction service on February 29, 2081 when 25 percent of the construction work has not been completed. The construction company had awarded the contract on June 3, 2022 with the intention of completing the project within 22 months i.e. Chaitra 19, 2080 BS. The road section is the main road leading to Tatopani of Sindhupalchowk and neighbouring districts including Dolakha and Ramechhap via the Araniko Highway.