Upgrade of Crucial Mustang Road Section Stalls Again Amid Contractor Delays

Mustang. The upgrade work on the 17-kilometer paved section of the national pride road connecting North-South (Beny-Jomsom-Korala), specifically the segment linking Kowang in Thasang Rural Municipality-2 to Jomsom in Ward-4 of Gharphazong, Mustang, has been abandoned once again.

The stagnation of the road upgrade work is due to repeated delays and negligence by the construction company responsible for the fourth section of the 74-kilometer Beny-Jomsom road, which is part of the Kaligandaki Corridor (Beny-Jomsom-Korala) Road Project.

While the second and third sections of the Beny-Jomsom road have been completed and handed over to the project, the project office stated that the construction company has abandoned the upgrade work on the Kowang-Jomsom section, despite achieving 85 percent physical progress.

The then government initiated the Beny-Jomsom-Korala road, connecting Nepal-China Korala border pass, starting in the fiscal year 2073/74 with the objective of expanding it as a trilateral trade route. Accordingly, the contract agreement for the 17 km fourth section, Kowang-Jomsom, was signed with the project at a cost of NPR 700 million, and work proceeded.

Pappu Gauri Parbati, Koshi & Neupane JV, had secured the contract for the upgrade and asphalt paving of the Kowang-Jomsom road section under construction here. Although the plan was to pave the 11-meter wide road, including drainage, the construction company has failed to complete the upgrade work even after eight years since the contract was signed.

Initially, when the contract was signed, Koshi & Neupane, the joint partner, took responsibility for the construction of the Kowang-Jomsom road. However, as they failed to accelerate the work, the joint venture's main partner, Pappu Gauri Parbati, returned to complete the road construction.

The project office reported that the road upgrade and paving work has been completed from Khanti-Tukuche's Thapakhola, and from Tukuche's Siran Toli to Marpha, since the contract agreement for the Kowang-Jomsom road upgrade.

Project Chief Tejaswi Sharma informed that the asphalt paving expansion work for approximately 15 kilometers of road, from Jomsom Provincial Hospital to the Jomsom concrete bridge, has been completed. According to her, while about two kilometers of road remain under construction—including the road inside Tukuche village in Thasang, the stretch from Marpha bridge to the end of Syang, and the road in front of the Nepali Army barracks in Jomsom market—the work has not progressed.

Due to the piling of soil for asphalt paving in front of the Nepali Army barracks in Jomsom along the road under construction, vehicular movement has been hampered. Furthermore, the dust pollution caused by the delay in paving appears to be affecting the army personnel stationed there.

Previously, the local administration had directed the construction company to complete the construction of the Korala-connecting road (Kowang-Jomsom) by the month of Baishakh. However, disregarding the administration's directive, the construction company has abandoned the road construction work.

Project Chief Sharma informed that a daily penalty has been imposed on the construction company for the Kowang-Jomsom road section, effective from last Kartik, amounting to 90.050 percent of the total contract value. She stated that the deadline for the penalty period for this section has been extended for the seventh time and will last for 200 days. "The final 'deadline' is until the month of Chaitra. By that time, they must pay the penalty amount and resume the incomplete road work," said Project Chief Sharma. "If this does not happen, the contract agreement with the construction company will be terminated, and a new tender process will commence."

Project Chief Sharma stated that although the project sought consent from the Department to terminate the contract for the Kowang-Jomsom road, which was abandoned due to extreme contractor delays, and open a new tender, consent has not yet been received. Project Chief Sharma further explained that if the government does not amend the Public Procurement Act, the construction company will have to pay the project a penalty equivalent to 10 percent of the contract cost for the Kowang-Jomsom abandoned road, for which a daily fine has been imposed. The equipment used for the construction of the abandoned Kowang-Jomsom road is currently idle. The manpower deployed for the road construction work has not returned to duty.