Bara. Facts have come to light that the contractor company has stolen stones, gravel, sand, and soil during the construction of the Dudhaula bridge on the Pathalaiya-Nijgadh road section of the Mahendra Highway. The Nagar Police of Jitpursimra Sub-Metropolis impounded an excavator and a tipper while the construction company Shree Mahadev Khimti-Hirachan JV Kathmandu was stealing stones, gravel, sand, and soil from the Dudhaula river. The impounded vehicles are currently under the control of the Inaruwa Police Office, Simra. The sub-metropolis has recently written to IPRC Simra on Friday (Jestha 1) to not release the tipper and excavator until the revenue and fine amount is paid. The sub-metropolis's on-site report states that the construction company excavated construction materials from the river 500 meters south of the highway's Dudhaula bridge. Using construction materials stolen directly from the river without paying revenue to the government is an illegal act. The sub-metropolis had also formed an monitoring committee under the convenership of officer Kritiraj Subedi to investigate this matter. The report submitted by the committee mentions that 157,581 cubic feet of construction materials were excavated from 4 plots 500 meters south of the highway. "The construction company should either buy sand, stones, and gravel from businessmen or purchase it by paying revenue to the sub-metropolis, but here it appears they are stealing directly from the river," said monitoring committee convenor Subedi. "We caught them red-handed stealing stones, gravel, and sand by digging large pits in 4 plots 500 meters south of the Dudhaula river bridge." Locals say that Shree Mahadev Khimti-Hirachan JV used the riverine materials stolen from the river to construct the 'right of way' on the east-west side of the bridge. The committee formed under the convenership of officer Subedi has written to the construction company to pay revenue and a fine of Rs 1,602,607 for the 157,581 cubic feet of riverine materials stolen, based on technical measurement.
- Sub-metropolis Writes to Road Department
Having found that riverine materials were stolen and used in bridge construction, the sub-metropolis has also written to the Road Department to assist in collecting the corresponding revenue and fine. In the letter sent to the Bridge Division, it is stated, "During the on-site inspection of the Dudhaula river, for which the contract was awarded, it was found that Shree Khimti-Hirachan JV was excavating and transporting riverine materials using an excavator in the river into tippers and tractors." "We request your assistance in depositing the revenue amount as per the on-site report with technical measurement." The sub-metropolis had sent a letter to the Road Department, Bridge Division on Jestha 4 regarding this incident which occurred in the last week of Chaitra. After the department received the letter requesting assistance in collecting the revenue, it wrote to Shree Mahadev Khimti-Hirachan JV on Jestha 7 asking them to deposit the revenue. Even though it has been almost a month since the department sent the letter, Khimti-Hirachan JV has not yet deposited the revenue. A copy of the letter signed by Road Department Project Chief Ratnalaxmi Bajracharya has also been provided to the sub-metropolis. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) conducted 8 years ago before the bridge construction indicated that it would be suitable to use stones, gravel, and sand from 1.3 kilometers south of the bridge after paying revenue. For this, the construction company was supposed to purchase it by paying revenue to the local authority. Additionally, a budget of Rs 4 million has been allocated solely for the construction of the 'right of way' on both sides of the bridge under a contract worth Rs 172.2 million. The sub-metropolis has also expressed suspicion that unauthorized use of stones, gravel, sand, and soil from the river may have occurred in the entire construction work of the bridge, for which the contract was signed in fiscal year 2074/075.
- Contractor: "I won't operate the bridge, nor will I pay the fine"
Shree Mahadev Khimti-Hirachan JV Company's Proprietor Ravi Singh has stated that he will not pay the fine and will not operate the bridge. "We have not done anything other than digging and filling," Singh said. "If the local authorities do this injustice to us, we will not operate the bridge, nor will we pay the fine." Singh, who is also a former president of the Federation of Contractors' Associations of Nepal, claimed that the stones, gravel, and sand required for the bridge construction were purchased from a crusher in Nijgadh. "We dug and used it there, we did not transport it elsewhere," he said. "The pit they are referring to was dug for river control." The bridge, which was supposed to be completed within 3 years, is finally nearing completion after 8 years. Construction entrepreneur Singh stated that 90 percent of the bridge work is complete. "Why should we pay a fine for work we haven't done?" he asked. This highway, with the highest vehicular traffic, is considered a lifeline for Nepal. The dispute between the construction company and the sub-metropolis indicates a delay in the bridge's operation. The contractor company is pressuring the sub-metropolis through the Road Department, Bridge Division, and local police administration to release the excavator and tipper under the sub-metropolis's control. The Jitpursimra Sub-Metropolis has commented that the local administration has not cooperated in collecting the revenue amount.
