KHOTANG: Two road blacktopping projects in Khotang are likely to remain incomplete after construction work was delayed by the contractor.
The affected projects include the Diktel-Halesi road section connecting Aiselukharka Bazaar from Nunthala via Jaubari, Kubhinde and Harmatar, and the Hurlung-Jalpa-Sapteshwor-Baxila road, which branches off the Mid-Hill Highway.
Both projects, funded by the Koshi Province government, have stalled at the final blacktopping stage despite the allocation of the required budget. Construction company BC-PC-PKB JV had signed contracts with the Physical Infrastructure Development Office, Khotang, to complete both projects by June 29, 2026.
Chief Engineer of the Physical Infrastructure Development Office, Binam Dahal, said the contractor has already prepared the necessary materials for blacktopping but has been unable to proceed because of continuous rainfall and the approaching contract deadline.
The contractor was awarded a contract worth Rs 23.838 million to blacktop a 2,200-meter stretch of the Nunthala-Jaubari-Kubhinde-Harmatar road. It also secured a separate contract worth Rs 25.354 million to blacktop a 2,500-meter section from Hurlung to Jalpa.
According to the office, physical progress has reached only 18 percent on the Nunthala-Jaubari-Kubhinde-Harmatar road and 13 percent on the Hurlung-Jalpa-Sapteshwor-Baxila road.
Although drainage systems, retaining walls, gabion structures, sub-base work and causeway slopes have been completed as stipulated in the contracts, the blacktopping itself has yet to begin. Local residents say the contractor failed to utilize the dry season to complete the paving work.
Dahal said the contractor has suspended blacktopping because of persistent monsoon rains, although the remaining work could be completed within about a month if the contract deadline is extended.
Representatives of the construction company said delays in procuring and transporting bitumen also contributed to the setback.
Local resident Mahan Gurung of Hurlung criticized the delay, saying public funds had been wasted after the projects reached the blacktopping stage but were left unfinished.
The contracts for both roads were signed on April 30. Locals said the contractor delayed mobilization for months after the agreement and only recently began work before halting operations because of the rain.
Residents have expressed frustration that the contractor abandoned the sites despite receiving support from both local communities and the government office.
Khotang, which comprises 10 local governments, has very few blacktopped rural roads outside the Mid-Hill Highway. Transport operators say construction materials left on the roads by the contractor have also disrupted traffic movement.
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