Bridge over Tilawe River still incomplete in 7 years

By Dipak Prasad Gautam Birgunj, June 11: Construction of a bridge over the Tilawe River on the road connecting the rural areas in Parsa with the district headquarters has not completed yet, even seven years after the contract was signed.

Pappu Lumbini JV had won the contract for the construction at Rs. 77.1 million. According to the contract, the construction should have been completed in three years’ time. However, even seven years after the contract was signed, the construction has not been completed. 

The contract was signed on June 8, 2015, said Information Officer and Engineer Durga Mandal of Postal Highway Directorate Planning Office, Birgunj.

The construction has not been completed even after the extension of the deadline four times, with the first deadline being February 25, 2021. But later it was extended to August 22, 2021. For the third time, it was extended to April 15, 2022. Again, as the construction remained incomplete, it was extended further to July 10, 2022.

Earlier, the construction was abandoned after the contractor was out of contact for seven months. Later on, youth of the village staged a protest for one month demanding resumption of the work. 

After the protest, an all-party meeting held with the contractor's representative at the District Administration Office, Parsa on November 17 last year agreed to resume the construction and to complete it by mid-April.

The construction still remains incomplete, making it hard for the people to cross the river. 

According to Mandal, the physical progress of the work stands at 78.83 per cent, and the financial progress at 62 per cent.

It is difficult to complete the construction work as the Nepal Electricity Authority had not yet removed its 10 poles from the area.

The old iron bridge is in dilapidated condition and is narrow, which leads to traffic jams for hours every morning and evening. A diversion made in the river has also been washed away by the floods.