Fuel Shortage Stalls Kakarbhitta-Laukahi Road Construction

Jhapa. The construction of the Kakarbhitta-Laukahi road has slowed down due to a shortage of petroleum products. Ujjwal Prasai, Project Manager at the construction company Evrascon Kalika JV, stated that the ongoing tension in West Asia has led to a scarcity of bitumen, which is essential for road paving.

Evrascon Kalika JV is currently upgrading the eastern section of the Kakarbhitta-Laukahi road. Project Manager Prasai noted that the bitumen currently in stock will only last for 10-15 days, right during the peak paving season. He added that while they have prepared 22 kilometers of the road base for the first layer of paving, the bitumen purchased at a premium is insufficient. Furthermore, the quota system imposed by the Nepal Oil Corporation on diesel has limited fuel availability, pushing the project to the brink of a complete shutdown.

Sunil Babu Pant, Chief Divisional Engineer (CDE) of the Kakarbhitta-Laukahi Road Project (Eastern Section), confirmed that the construction company is relying solely on existing bitumen stocks. CDE Pant stated that the construction firm has informed the project office that rising fuel prices due to West Asian tensions have made operations increasingly difficult.

CDE Pant further reported that the construction company informed the project that the Letters of Credit (LC) opened for importing bitumen have been returned. In addition to the fuel crisis, the project is also facing challenges due to unfavorable weather conditions, according to the project chief.

Project Chief Pant warned that if the tensions in the Middle East do not subside, work on this road project could come to a complete halt within a week or ten days. The 45-kilometer stretch from Kakarbhitta to Sitapuri is being upgraded at a total cost of 10 billion 69.4 million rupees.