Construction of vital bridge in Kalikot remains stalled despite deadline expiry

Kalikot. Even a year after the construction contract deadline, the concrete bridge connecting Palata and Pachaljharna rural municipalities to the national road network remains incomplete. The bridge, intended to link Palata rural municipality and wards 1 to 5 of Pachaljharna rural municipality to the national network, has seen no progress despite the expiration of the contract period.

The project was approved by the Karnali Province government and contracted by the Physical Infrastructure Development Office, Kalikot. However, apart from digging pits at the site, no further work has been carried out. The contract for the bridge construction was awarded to Shri Hirachan-Caravan Superstar JV, Gopikrishnanagar-7, Kathmandu, with the agreement signed on Ashoj 13, 2077.

According to the agreement, the bridge was to be completed by Chaitra 25, 2081. Prabhakar Singh, head of the Physical Infrastructure Development Office, Kalikot, stated that despite numerous efforts to ensure timely completion, the contractor has been negligent. "The deadline has been extended until the end of Ashar, 2084," he said.