Strategic Kaski-Syangja Road Project Remains Abandoned Amid Contractor Negligence

Pokhara. The Phusrekhola-Ramdi-Mattikhan-Deurali road project in Kaski, which was contracted to be completed by Poush 2076, remains in a state of abandonment.
 The project agreement was signed in 2074. This 13.7-kilometer road has been left in limbo for a long time. Frustrated by the prolonged delay, local consumers have even sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister.

‘We sacrificed our invaluable land, fields, and homes for development. But due to the contractor's irresponsibility, the road is abandoned today,’ said local consumer Dhurba Pokharel, ‘The road, which should have been completed 7 years ago, is still unfinished. We demand a guarantee for immediate construction.’ 

Locals complain that electricity poles are in a hazardous state during road expansion, some residents have been displaced, and the contractor has failed to pay outstanding debts for food supplies at village shops.

This road is considered strategically important as it connects Kaski and Syangja districts. Citing the extreme delays and the contractor's negligence, residents have urged for the work to be completed quickly as it has made daily life difficult. 

Another local, Arjun Pokharel, says that the lack of a road is leading to displacement from the village. ‘Many started businesses by investing in the village, hoping that the road would bring tourists. But the road is abandoned,’ he says, ‘Because of the pathetic state of the road, villagers have started leaving.’

The contract for the road construction was awarded to SBA/SAP/Siruwa JV. Despite extending the deadline four times for this project, which was contracted for 314.9 million rupees, the work remains unfinished.

 Although the office records show 55 percent financial progress, the situation on the ground is dire. Krishna Acharya, head of the Infrastructure Development Office in Kaski, states that the situation has reached a point where the contract must be terminated. After the contractor halted work for the past year, some progress was made following recent directives.

Acharya noted that even after a contract management meeting held in the presence of the Chief District Officer at the District Administration Office, Kaski, work resumed briefly before stopping again.

 ‘The contractor had stopped work for the past year. Even after the contract management meeting and the Chief District Officer's directive, they showed irresponsibility by stopping work again under the pretext of elections,’ he said.

Since the contractor failed to implement repeated verbal and written commitments, the office has initiated the process of terminating the contract. Acharya stated that the process to end the contract was initiated because the office was continuously misled. According to the agreement, the revised deadline was Chaitra 27, 2081. 

Due to the pace of work and the contractor's behavior, the project was not completed on time. Now, the government has moved forward with the process of terminating the contract without further extensions.

This road is viewed as an alternative short-distance route to the Siddhartha Highway. Approximately 6 kilometers of drainage, hume pipes, gabion walls, and masonry wall work remain to be completed.

 ‘The work on the ground does not match the money the contractor has taken. After repeated deadline extensions yielded no results, the process to terminate the contract has now begun,’ he said.

The construction of this road connecting Kaski and Syangja was initiated through the active participation of local consumers. In 2057, locals raised funds themselves to build a dirt road.

 After the track was opened, city buses began operating from Phusrekhola in Pokhara to Mattikhan starting in 2064. Local consumer committees, people's representatives, and intellectuals had made joint efforts for a long time to blacktop and pave the road.

Only after their continuous pressure and initiatives was the project approved by the central government and the budget allocated. Although the estimated cost was 420.9 million rupees, the contractor agreed to the work for a total of 314.9 million rupees through the Road Division Office, Pokhara.