Bridge construction for railway paces up

By Our Correspondent Sarlahi, July 15: Construction of a bridge along the Mechi-Mahakali Electrified Railway has gained momentum.

The bridge construction along the railway line from Bardibas of Mahottari through Sarlahi, Rautahat to Bara's Chocha under Bardibas-Chocha section is moving in full swing. 

Engineer Suresh Prasad Sah of the Railway Planning Office Lalbandi informed that about two dozen small and large bridges are being constructed in the 70 km of the Bardibas-Chocha section of the national pride project.

Among them, the longest bridge, 735-meter, is being constructed over the Bagmati River flowing through the border of Sarlahi and Rautahat districts. The bridge, which is being built on the Bagmati River near an under-construction lake, is located at a distance of 2.5 km south of East-West Highway. It has 21 pillars and a span of 4.5 meters, said Engineer Sah.

According to him, 75 per cent construction work on the bridge being developed at a cost of Rs. 1.20 billion has been completed. The one-year contract with the construction company Rasuwa Construction has been extended in order to complete the remaining works. 

"We have just extended the deadline by one year as the construction of the bridge would not be completed in the stipulated time. We are confident that the remaining 27 per cent of the work will be completed within the extended period of one year," said Sah. 

The construction company said that the construction of the bridge could not be completed in time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the disturbances it created. 

Bodh Bhandari, another engineer and Information Officer at the Office, claimed that the work on the Bardibas-Chocha section was progressing faster than in other sections. 

According to Bhandari, the work of railway track belt construction is also moving ahead after concluding the compensation distribution at the Bardibas-Chocha section. Construction of about 50 km of the 70 km stretch has been completed.

Engineer Bhandari said that the track belt of the railway from Bardibas to Phuljor of Sarlahi has been opened and vehicles are plying on that road now. 

The construction work of the railway has gained momentum after the government gave permission to cut down 11,123 trees and plants in the Sagarnath Forest Development Project area in the Bardibas-Chocha section of the railway.