Mid-Hill Highway struggling for timely completion due to COVID-19 crisis

KATHMANDU: Construction of the Mid-Hill Highway (MHH) has faced difficulty in keeping up with the deadline time due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, the project saw dismal physical progress in the first three months of the current fiscal year 2020/21, said Chief of the MHH Directorate, Dipak KC.

“In the first four months, the project recorded only two kilometers of blacktopping against the targeted 50 kilometers,” he said. The 1776 kilometers Highway connects 215 settlements of 26 districts and is estimated to benefit nearly 10 million Nepalis upon its completion.

Construction work of this national pride project expected to be completed by 2022/23 is likely to hit a snag for a month more due to upcoming Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath festivals, according to KC.

Problems like workers fearing to leave their houses for work and the respective local levels tightening mobility of people due to the spread of Coronavirus have further made the matter worse when it comes to construction of the MHH, he said.

It is mandatory for the people visiting others’ villages or districts are required to stay in a quarantine facility for nearly two weeks. “Workers fear stepping outside their home due to the spread of infection,” he opined. “Only 113 kilometers road has been blacktopped last year of the targeted 300 kilometers, which is one-third of the work,” he informed.