• TRN Online
• Sat, 18 April 2026

The construction of bridges and culverts along the eastern section (Narayangat-Daunne) of the under-expansion Narayangath-Butwal road segment of the East–West Highway has been completed. A total of 34 bridges, including 22 small and 12 large ones, have been built in this section. Additionally, all culverts in the area have also been completed. According to Engineer Chudaraj Dhakal, Chief of the ADB Directorate under the Department of Roads, the bridge construction work required for this section has now been finished. The road expansion project is being carried out with financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). A major bridge over the Binayi River at Dumkibas in Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) has also been completed and came into operation on Friday. The concrete bridge has a total length of 245 meters. Previously, vehicles had been operating through a diversion after the old iron bridge collapsed two years ago. With the new bridge now in use, transportation along this section has become easier for the time being, Dhakal said. A total of 211 culverts have been constructed in this stretch, which spans 65 kilometers. The road expansion work is currently in its final phase, with the Daunne section nearing completion. The total cost of the project is estimated at NPR 16.99 billion, of which 85 percent is financed through an ADB loan, while the remaining investment is covered by the Government of Nepal. The loan has been provided at an interest rate of 1.5 percent, repayable over 32 years. According to project details, the Gaindakot-Daunne section costs NPR 9.13 billion, while the Daunne-Butwal section costs NPR 7.86 billion. The contract for the road expansion was signed in January 2019 between the Government of Nepal and China State Construction Engineering Corporation, with a completion deadline of July 2022. However, the project is still under construction. Both construction packages have been awarded to the Chinese company. Upon completion, the Department of Road claims that travel time between Narayangath and Butwal will be reduced to a maximum of two hours. The East-West Highway was originally inaugurated in 1961 (B.S. 2018), and its expansion began nearly six decades later.

• TRN Online
• Sat, 18 April 2026

Challenging the Election Commission's decision to recognize the Thapa leadership elected through the special general convention, NC's former President and ex-Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and then acting President Purna Bahadur Khadka knocked the apex court's doors.