Kankai River Bridge Construction Stalls After 14 Years, Becoming Key Election Issue in Jhapa-4

Jhapa. Construction of a bridge over the Kankai River, connecting Jhapa Rural Municipality-2 and Gauriganj Rural Municipality-1 under the Postal Highway, began 14 years ago but remains incomplete. The progress on the 723-meter-long bridge, initiated under the 'Design and Build' format at a cost of NPR 340.9 million including tax, is only 56 percent.

The uncertainty over when the bridge will be completed has increased after the Department of Roads canceled the contract due to delays by the construction company. As the House of Representatives elections approach, voters in this constituency have a single question for the candidates: When will the Kankai Bridge be built?

Deu Kumar Thebe Limbu, a candidate for the House of Representatives and also the President of Nepali Congress Jhapa, stated, "As soon as we, the candidates for the House of Representatives, meet the voters, they raise the issue of the bridge construction before we even present our agendas. The development agenda for Jhapa-4, which lags behind in terms of development, is our first priority."

Chhabi Paudel of Jhapa Rural Municipality-1 Situmari says, "We will not be fooled by the assurances that candidates seeking votes now have given in the past."

Jhapa-4 has 130,712 voters. Sixteen candidates are contesting in this constituency, including candidates from the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Maoist Centre, Rastriya Swatantra Party, and other alternative parties.

Since the first general election of 2048 BS, Jhapa-4 has primarily been the center of competition between the Congress and UML politically. Past election results show that the traditional two parties remain strong, but voter attraction towards new political forces and alternative streams is increasing.

The UML maintained dominance in the House of Representatives elections of 2074 BS and 2079 BS, but the influence of the Rastriya Swatantra Party and alternative parties has made the electoral equation between old and new forces interesting.

It will be determined after February 21 whether the traditional political power will remain in Jhapa-4 or if a new political stream will emerge.