BAGLUNG: A 13-kilometer stretch of road from Patihalne in Nisikhola Rural Municipality-6 to Rupga in Bhume Rural Municipality-1, Rukum East, remains unfinished even after a decade, causing persistent hardship for locals and travelers.
Despite an agreement to complete the blacktopping of the road by 2073 BS, only about 70 percent of the work has been completed so far, according to Nabin Kharal, Information Officer at the Mid-Hill Highway Office in Dailekh. The delay has been attributed to negligence on the part of the construction contractor.
The blacktopping contract for this section of the Mid-Hill Highway was awarded at a cost of Rs 429.9 million. Although the contract deadline has been extended multiple times, the project has failed to progress as expected.
“Traffic on the Mid-Hill Highway has increased significantly, with hundreds of passengers using this route daily,” Kharal said. “All preparations for blacktopping from Patihalne to Rupga were made, but the contractor has not shown up in a long time. As a result, many of the built structures have already started to deteriorate.”
Locals continue to face inconvenience due to the incomplete road, which has turned into a rough and unreliable route, particularly during the monsoon season.
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