Bhutwal-Bethari Road Expansion Project Faces Delays, Contract Termination Considered

Butwal. More than 10 years have passed since the start of the 21-kilometer road expansion work from Belbas in Butwal to Bethari in Mayadevi Rural Municipality, but it has not yet been completed. The road was divided into two packages and awarded separately. The construction work of the northern 8.5-kilometer road section remains incomplete, causing hardship to the local residents for years. The contract for the construction of the 8.5-kilometer Butwal-Bethari road section was awarded to Bajraguru-Kanchharam JV, with the construction to be completed by the end of Asar 2076 BS. However, the construction work has not been completed even after a long time since the agreement. With no significant work done on the road construction for the past two years, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure of the Lumbini Province had initiated a process to terminate the contract. A few days ago, the ministry corresponded with the Provincial Transport Infrastructure Directorate regarding the situation that might arise from terminating the contract for the road, which has been stalled for a long time, and its alternatives. Anil Marasini, Director of the Provincial Transport Infrastructure Directorate, said that discussions and studies are being held with the relevant bodies after receiving the letter from the ministry. "We are discussing whether terminating the contract benefits the government or if we can move to other alternatives," he said. However, the termination of the contract is being reconsidered after the federal government recently amended the Public Procurement Regulations, providing contractors of projects that have been stalled for a long time and have completed more than 50 percent of the work with one final opportunity. The federal government facilitated the advancement of work on stalled projects by amending the Public Procurement Regulations on June 30, 2083 BS. Laloo Giri, Chief of the Road Infrastructure Development Office, Rupandehi, said that discussions are underway to give the old contractor a final opportunity to complete the work under this provision. "Instead of terminating the contract, we are discussing whether the old contractor can be given a final opportunity to complete the work," Giri said. Out of the 8.5-kilometer road section, about 2.5 kilometers of the road have not yet been blacktopped, and work remains in fragmented sections of 300 meters, 500 meters, etc., Giri said. "Work remains in fragmented sections of 300 meters, 500 meters in various places. Because of this, local residents are facing hardship," he said. The office stated that the work of organizing and beautifying the areas on both sides of the road, apart from blacktopping, also remains. Due to the incomplete main road construction and the delay in the remaining structural work, the important road from Butwal to Lumbini has remained incomplete for years. No Budget Allocation, No Contract Extension The road along the tourist route connecting Butwal and Lumbini has been stalled due to lack of budget and no extension of the contract period. The construction company Bajraguru Kanchha Ram JV was supposed to complete the road construction work as per the agreement by the end of Asar 2076 BS. However, despite repeated extensions, the construction has not been completed yet. The road, which was contracted by the federal government through the Butwal Road Division in 2073 BS, has had its construction and management responsibility transferred from the federal to the provincial government and then to the Road Infrastructure Development Office in Rupandehi over time. According to Laloo Giri, Chief of the Road Infrastructure Development Office, Rupandehi, the project was initially overseen by the federal office. Then, the Road Infrastructure Development Office, Kapilvastu, looked after this project. Since 2078 BS, the Rupandehi office has been overseeing the project. The project, which came from the federal government under conditional grants, has not received sufficient budget allocation in recent years. According to Giri, only 3 million rupees were allocated in the fiscal year 2079/80 and 2 million rupees in 2080/81. He said that the government has not allocated any budget since then. Along with the lack of budget, the contract period has not been extended after March 2081 BS. Due to the stalled construction, passengers and local residents have been suffering in various sections of the road. Locals say there are potholes on the road in areas like Ranigunj and Motipur. The condition of the road deteriorates further during the monsoon, causing problems in commuting. After the delay in road construction, local residents of Ranigunj have been lobbying various bodies, including the District Administration Office and the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers' Office, by forming a road struggle committee for about two years. Vijay Dhakal, coordinator of the struggle committee, said that local residents have been facing a lot of hardship due to the long delay in the completion of road construction. Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City Chief Khelraj Pandey has urged the provincial government to hand over the responsibility to the sub-metropolitan city if it cannot complete the project. He said that local residents are suffering due to the long delay in road construction, adding, "We have repeatedly urged for road construction. Locals are suffering because the road is not being built. If the provincial government cannot allocate the budget, it should hand over the responsibility to us."