By Janarjan Khatri
Malangwa, Apr. 3: Work on the long-stalled Sarlahi section of the postal highway has finally started moving forward.
According to Ramesh Kumar Goit, engineer at the Division Road Office (DRO), Chandranigahpur, the contractors started working after the DRO began a process of taking action against them.
“Himdung Thokar and Sah JV and Diwa Construction Service, which have won the contract to construct the road section west of Malangwa, have begun work,” Goit said, adding, “Himdung Thokar Namita JV, which had won the contract of the eastern section, has informed us that they will begin work in a couple of days.”
“The work had not moved forward because of the contractors’ neglect. So we initiated the process of seizing their deposit and blacklisting them. This prompted them to work again,” Goit explained.
The 40-kilometre east-west stretch of the postal highway in Sarlahi was divided into three segments-- Malangwa-Sangrampur, Malangwa-Rohuwa and Rohuwa-Balara-- in 2016 and contracted to Himdung Thokar and Namita JV, Himdung Thokar and Sah JV and Diwa Construction Service respectively.
Of the three segments, work has been done in the western Malangwa-Sangrampur section but not in the other two.
Locals complain that the mud and dust emanated from incomplete roads cause health problems and make travel inconvenient.
Chairman of Parsa Rural Municipality Kisun Dev Ray said that he was saddened to see the government’s apathy towards the poor condition of the road.
“Every time ministers come to the district, they promise that the road will be constructed. But no work has been done,” he said. “Last year too, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Basanta Kumar Nembang came to Sarlahi to inspect the postal highway and assured that work would move forward immediately, but nothing changed on the ground.”