Nagdhunga-Muglin Road Expansion Faces Significant Delays

Kathmandu. The expansion work on the Nagdhunga-Muglin road section, considered the main 'lifeline' for entering and exiting the federal capital Kathmandu, has been severely delayed. Despite repeated deadline extensions, the construction work has not been completed, causing prolonged suffering for the general public traveling on this road section.

Even as the latest extended deadline is nearing its end, the physical progress appears disappointing. The prolonged expansion of the main highway has not only caused hardship to the general public but has also directly impacted the country's economic activities.

In such a situation, instead of holding the construction parties accountable, the project is preparing to extend the deadline again. The project has stated that the process for further deadline extension is underway, citing reasons such as petroleum price hikes, bitumen shortage, and delays in relocating electric poles.

This approximately 95-kilometer-long road is being expanded with the concessional loan assistance of the World Bank. The 12.26-kilometer section from Nagdhunga to Naubise falls under the Tribhuvan Highway, while the section from Naubise to Muglin falls under the Prithvi Highway. This road has been under expansion for the past five years.

In some sections, work has not been completed even within the second extended deadline, while in others, a second extension is required after the first deadline expired. During an inspection of this section, which could not be completed within multiple deadlines, Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal even made a statement about breaking the legs of the contractors for not relocating electricity poles on time last week. That statement garnered attention from the road to the parliament.

• Eastern section's first package 88 percent, second 59 percent

Construction work has gained momentum in the eastern section under the Nagdhunga-Muglin road expansion project. According to project engineer Keshav Prasad Ojha, the physical progress in the first package (Nagdhunga-Naubise) of road expansion is around 88 percent, and in the second package (Naubise-Malekhu) it is around 59 percent.

Similarly, the work of relocating poles that obstruct road expansion is in process, and the blacktopping work is also moving forward rapidly.

According to Engineer Ojha, approximately 75 more poles need to be relocated for road expansion. As per the agreement with the Nepal Electricity Authority, the responsibility of relocating poles lies with the authority, and the project bears the cost, as per the understanding. Delays in pole relocation for a long time have affected the project's timeline.

Blacktopping work has also gained pace in this section. Specifically, blacktopping has started from Ghatbesi and Dharke areas. Out of the approximately 20 kilometers of road remaining to be blacktopped in the eastern section, the base for about 9 kilometers has already been prepared. Efforts are being made to cover the parts of the road that were dismantled before the monsoon as much as possible, and the project plans to resume the remaining work after the monsoon.

'We are currently prioritizing the work that can be done before the monsoon,' said Ojha. 'To prevent the road from being damaged during the monsoon, we are continuing the work of repairing the dismantled areas and filling potholes. The remaining blacktopping work will resume after the monsoon.'

Furthermore, the project has stated that both these packages will not be completed within the deadline due to petroleum price increases and bitumen shortages. An extension of the deadline for both these packages appears necessary. He said, 'Deadline extensions or other management decisions will only be made based on the consultant's report and our consultant's recommendation. We are currently focused on achieving the set targets.'

The contract for the upgradation of the Nagdhunga-Naubise package of the first section was awarded to Jangsu-Sagun JV for 1.30 billion rupees. The contract was signed on March 29, 2078 (Bikram Sambat), and work began on May 26, 2079 (Bikram Sambat), a year and a half after the contract was signed. As the work was not completed within that period, the deadline was extended to January 2081 (Bikram Sambat), and then further extended to July 10, 2082 (Bikram Sambat). As it was still not completed, it was extended again to the end of February 2082 (Bikram Sambat).

Similarly, the contract for the second package, Naubise-Malekhu section, was awarded to ZICG-Sharma-Lama JV for 5.33 billion 19 million rupees. The work on this section, contracted on April 14, 2079 (Bikram Sambat), was supposed to be completed by the end of May 2082 (Bikram Sambat), but as it was not completed, the deadline has been extended to October 2083 (Bikram Sambat).

• Western section: 43 percent physical progress, preparing for deadline extension  

Under the upgradation work of the western section (Malekhu-Muglin) of the Nagdhunga-Muglin road project, 43 percent physical progress has been achieved so far. According to project engineer Sachedra Mishra, preparations for blacktopping have begun in this section, and initial work is underway.

The process of applying the prime coat, which is the initial stage of blacktopping, has started on the road. However, there has not been enough bitumen available. So far, only 30 tons of bitumen have been received, and as this quantity is small, efforts are being made to bring more bitumen, the department stated.

Mishra said, 'Bitumen has not arrived yet, only 30 tons have arrived. Since that is a small amount, efforts are being made to bring more. We have also instructed the contractor to bring bitumen. He is also making efforts. It is on its way.'

Out of the electricity poles that were obstructing road expansion, 107 poles still need to be relocated, the department stated. Similarly, although some problems were encountered in the past, local bodies are currently cooperating with excavation work, so there are no issues with the supply of construction materials like gravel and sand, he said.

Although the deadline was extended by 183 days from December 28, the process of further extension is ongoing due to various other reasons. Engineer Mishra clarified that the extended time cannot be confirmed at this moment as the deadline will be determined only after evaluating the details submitted by the contractor through the consultant.

He said, 'The deadline was extended for 183 days from December 28. The process of extending the deadline is still underway for various reasons. The deadline extension will be determined based on the evaluation of the basis submitted by the contractor for the deadline extension. We will review it when the documents are submitted.'

The contract for expanding this 38.86-kilometer road section was awarded to Sharma-ZICG for 4.80 billion 59 million rupees. According to the contract signed on January 15, 2079 (Bikram Sambat), the work was supposed to be completed by January 2082 (Bikram Sambat). However, as it could not be completed, the deadline has been extended to June 15, 2083 (Bikram Sambat). Now, only one week remains until the deadline expires.