Bridge construction over Triyuga River in limbo

By Our Correspondent,Gaighat, Apr. 9: No concrete steps have been initiated yet to reconstruct a bridge over the Triyuga River in Ward No. 5 of Chaudandigadhi Municipality of Udayapur district.

The construction of a motorable bridge started over the river in 2009 to connect locals of Shivai with the municipality centre in Beltar. 

However, it got destroyed by a flood in the river on July 3, 2021, even before it was completed.

According to locals, they waited years for the construction to complete, but that amounted to nothing.

“Around two years have passed since the bridge was destroyed. 

The delay in its reconstruction is a result of lack of concern from the respective ministry and division,” said Kaluman Lama, mayor of Chaudandigadhi.

A budget of Rs. 112.7 million was allocated for the bridge, which has 12 spans and a length of 307 metres. 

There are 12 pillars and 11 slabs in the bridge, as well. 

The bridge came crashing down when the second and third pillar in the Shivai side crumbled and a slab fell down.

Within 15 days of the incident, a probe committee was formed to prepare a report after studying the bridge site under the leadership of superintendent engineer Nabin Man Shrestha of Federal Highway Supervision and Monitoring Office, Damak.

Senior engineer Ishwar Prasad Rijal of Bridge Division of the Department of Road and engineer Niti Jha had reached the site for the inspection. 

“However, the report of the study has not been prepared yet,” said Ram Kumar Chaudhary, a local.

Another local Dhanapati Acharya said that the locals fear that looming monsoon would further delay the construction.  

Kedar Prasad Timsina, representative of Mahalaxmi Lokpriya JV Construction, the contractor of the bridge, said that there was error in the bridge design itself.

“The design showed that a pillar of 7.75 metres was enough, but in many places there was sand up to nine metres,” said Timsina.

Chief of Gaighat-Diktel Road Project Er. Gopal Prasad Khakurel said that the bridge collapsed due to issues beneath the ground. 

“Recently, foundation design has been passed for the reconstruction, but the file still seems to have been stuck in the department due to different reasons,” said Khakurel.