Butwal Road Construction Faces Delays, Exceeds Decade

Butwal. Nearly a decade has passed since the start of construction on the approximately three-and-a-half-kilometer road from Butwal's Highway Intersection to Golpark, yet it remains incomplete.

The contract was signed on March 30, 2017, with 'Kanchanjunga-Biruwa JV' with the goal of expanding it into a 6-lane modern road. The construction, which was supposed to be completed within 30 months, by 2019, at a cost of approximately 540 million rupees, is still in an incomplete state. After the contractor company was granted 8 extensions but failed to complete the work, the Road Division Office, Butwal, canceled the contract in April 2024.

Subsequently, a new contract was signed with 'Babul Darshan Malika JV' (Bhairahawa) for approximately 330 million rupees, including VAT, to complete the remaining work. Although the goal was to finish the work within one year as per the agreement made on October 5, 2024, the new contractor has also not made expected progress.

So far, the deadline for this road has been extended 10 times. The Road Division Office stated that the deadline has been extended twice by the new contractor, and the process for a third extension is underway.

According to Engineer Shubhechha Saha, Information Officer at the Road Division Office, Butwal, the contract's deadline expired on March 25. A proposal to extend the deadline until the end of June has been sent to the higher authority. It is not yet certain whether the extension will be approved.

According to Saha, the physical progress of the road construction so far is approximately 58 percent, and the financial progress is 43.95 percent.

Same Fate in New Contract

Despite the new contractor signing an agreement on October 5, 2024, with the condition of completing the construction within one year after the old contract was terminated, the same old fate has been repeated.

Taufiq Ahmed Khan, co-director of the construction company, stated that the delay in work is due to increased costs and a shortage of construction materials. He mentioned that the lack of easy availability of raw materials like stones, gravel, and sand is the main problem.

He pledged to complete all the road construction work within the extended time. The agreement includes the construction of a modern structure with a 10.5-meter wide main lane, a 7-meter service lane, a 3-meter footpath, and a 2.5-meter green belt (green area) on this road section.

Locals Suffer

Local residents and traders are distressed by the delay in the construction work, which is being carried out in the name of urban development. Businessmen, especially in the Traffic Chowk area, are directly affected by the dust and mud.

According to Yagya Pokharel, a trader who has been operating a shop in front of Traffic Chowk for a long time, the road in front of the shop has been dug up and left neglected for a long time. 'When it rains, mud comes into the shop, and when it's sunny, the dust makes it difficult to even stay,' he said.

Pokharel complained that the problem is exacerbated not only by the slow pace of construction but also by the repeated digging up and rebuilding of the road. 'If it had been built properly once, it could have lasted for at least 5-7 years, but by repeatedly digging it up, we are only being fed dust,' he added.

Vehicle drivers are equally frustrated by the condition of the road. Auto drivers, in particular, are facing more problems due to the dust and the damaged road.

Hari Prasad Aryal, Chairman of the Butwal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also expressed dissatisfaction with the delay in road construction, commenting that it is a tragedy in the name of development for a 3-kilometer road to take years to build. He stated that either the road should not be dug up, or if dug up, it should be completed on time.