75% of Rapti River Bridge Construction Completed, Locals Demand Extension

Nepalgunj. 75 percent of the construction work on the concrete bridge being built over the Rapti River connecting Dudhwa and Raptisongari rural municipalities of Banke has been completed. The Hulaki Highway Directorate Project Office, Nepalgunj, has stated that approximately 75 percent progress has been made in both physical and financial aspects of the bridge so far.

The office chief, Lilabahadur Bhandari, mentioned that the bridge construction is proceeding according to the approved design and informed that approximately 75 percent progress has been made in both physical and financial aspects so far. He stated that a 700-meter bridge is being built based on technical study and design, and that local people have demanded the construction of an additional 440-meter bridge.

Ward Chairman of Raptisongari Rural Municipality-6, Lavraj Kharel, expressed confidence that the construction of an additional 440-meter bridge would greatly support the development of the area and facilitate the marketing of agricultural produce and transportation. He mentioned that the lives of the locals have become difficult since the 2074 BS flood damaged areas like Khala, Tepari, and Dhalaiya, and argued that a bridge should be built across the entire area after constructing embankments on both sides of the river. Ward Chairman Kharel said, "Work should be done by looking at the actual situation and geography of this place."

Ward Chairman of Dudhwa Rural Municipality-5, Jhankabahadur Thapa, stated that the current bridge under construction would be meaningless if additional structures were not built. He informed that there is a risk of areas like Balapur, Kamdi, and Sidhniaghat being submerged if the bridge construction is not expanded, and demanded the government to construct a 1,140-meter bridge as per the public demand.

Former minister of Lumbini Provincial Assembly, Krishna KC, urged the concerned bodies to complete the bridge construction by addressing the public's dissatisfaction. She stated that it would be easier once a 1,140-meter wide bridge is completed, as the Hulaki Road is being used as an alternative route from Nepalgunj to the east via Butwal in recent times. Due to the narrow bridge, vehicles currently have to wait for their turn to cross the bridge.

Another bridge is being constructed near the existing approximately 350-meter long bridge. The project office has stated that it has sent a written request to the directorate after the locals demanded to extend the length of the bridge by 440 meters to 1,140 meters.

Meanwhile, locals said that although a high-level team including the project director visited the bridge construction site and gathered on-site information, no results have come out. Locals are pressuring not to leave the bridge construction incomplete and have refused to build embankments in the remaining areas.

"We don't want embankments, we want a bridge, Rapti flows through our titled land, how will we make a living if embankments are built on barren land?" said local Pramodkumar Sonkar of Raptisongari-6. He demanded that the government increase the length of the bridge and stated that embankments should not be built in the remaining areas.

Project Chief Bhandari said that the demands made by the public have been conveyed to the center. He informed that the work is progressing rapidly to complete the construction within the stipulated time as per the contract agreement, and mentioned that there is no technical problem with the bridge's 'design'.

According to the design, the project office has stated that the 700-meter bridge, 1,480-meter 'approach' road, and four kilometers of river control work will be completed simultaneously. The cost of the bridge under construction, which is scheduled to be completed in Asar 2084 BS, is Rs 119 crore.