Kutameshwori Bridge Construction Delay Causes Hardship in Madhesh Province

Janakpurdham. Due to extreme delay in the construction of Kutameshwori Bridge under the Janakpur-Bhithamod road section, local residents, passengers, and goods vehicles are forced to suffer daily.

The bridge, which was started at a cost of approximately 20 crore rupees, has not been completed even after four years, making commuting risky. With the onset of the monsoon, travel on this road section has become arduous.

This road is also considered important for trade movement with India. As the construction of Kutameshwori Bridge, which falls under Mahottari Rural Municipality, is still incomplete, locals, students, patients, daily passengers, and businessmen are forced to use alternative and risky routes. Locals complain that the road becomes muddy with normal rain, vehicles get stuck, and movement is disrupted.

Ashutosh Thakur, a local from Parsa, Mahottari Rural Municipality, said that the condition of the bridge construction has remained the same for about four years. According to him, the deadline is only being extended without completing the construction at various times.

Although a large amount of revenue is collected annually from the Bhithamod-Janakpur customs, Thakur says it is strange that the concerned bodies are not showing interest in the construction of such an important road bridge.

Similarly, Sanjay Kumar Mishra of Pipara Rural Municipality-2 said that locals are suffering daily due to the delay in bridge construction. 'It is very difficult to commute due to the delay in bridge construction. The monsoon has also started. In such a situation, the risk of accidents and even loss of life has increased. There is no effective alternative route here. This is the result of the contractor's negligence and the government's weak monitoring,' he said.

The impact of the delay in bridge construction is not limited to the locals. Large goods vehicles entering Nepal from India and large passenger buses visiting for tourism get stranded for hours. Locals say that when trucks carrying goods are stopped, it not only causes losses to drivers and businessmen but also affects the supply system.

According to locals, despite repeatedly drawing the attention of the construction company, the pace of work has not increased. Locals accuse the concerned bodies of not monitoring effectively and protecting the construction company by repeatedly extending the deadline.

According to Krishna Kumar Mahato, chief of the Hulasi Highway Project Office, Janakpurdham, the bridge construction could not be completed on time due to lack of budget. He said that for this reason, the construction period had to be extended repeatedly.

With the onset of the monsoon, the old bridge next to the newly constructed bridge is being used as a diversion. Although the diversion is being operated by filling soil, the problem of vehicles getting stuck due to mud caused by rain has increased.

Meanwhile, Site Engineer Bikash Sah of the Hulasi Road Directorate said that two excavators, one JCB, and two tippers are kept standby at the construction site. According to him, as the filled soil has become muddy due to rain, work is underway to make the road operational by adding gravel to the area.

Sanjeev Jha, a civil society leader from Jaleshwor Municipality-2, complained that despite repeatedly drawing the attention of the concerned bodies about the delay in bridge construction, the construction company has not increased the pace of work. According to him, the concerned bodies have also come under suspicion because effective action has not been taken against contractors who repeatedly extend deadlines but do not work.

Passengers have also demanded that the concerned bodies should put strong pressure on the construction company to complete the construction within the current deadline, instead of providing more time. They say that commuting in that area becomes difficult even with normal rain.