Mahalaxmi Dobhan-Satungal road: A tale of delays and more delays

By Rammani Dahal,Hetauda, July 23: Construction on the road connecting Hetauda to Satungal in Kathmandu via Bhimphedi, Kulekhani and Mahalaxmi Dobhan continues to be delayed.

The government of Bagmati Province divided the road into two sections and invited bids from prospective contractors. The Provincial Infrastructure Development Office (PIDO) in Chitwan called for tenders for the Mahalaxmi Dobhan-Makaibari section and Provincial Infrastructure Development Office in Lalitpur called for tenders for the Makaibari-Matatirtha-Satungal section.

Accordingly, Kabindra ATC JV and Amar Construction won the contracts for the two sections respectively. But the local elected representatives and the Mahalaxmi Dobhan-Ghattekhola-Deurali-Matatirtha-Satungal Road Stakeholders' Committee (MRSC) accuse the two contractors of neglect and of working unnecessarily slowly.

Dutraj Titung, chairman of Makwanpur's Indrasarowar Rural Municipality Ward No. 5, said that they had drawn the attention of Bagmati Province's Ministry of Physical Infrastructure to the matter last month but no action had been taken.

Contractual obligations not fulfilled

The contract for the Mahalaxmi Dobhan-Makaibari section was signed in the fiscal year 2020/21 and that for the Makaibari-Satungal section was signed in the fiscal year 2018/19. Both the contracts required the contractors to finish work within 18 months. But even though the first contract has been extended once and the second thrice, work is still not complete.

Birendra Prasad Chaudhary, head of the Chitwan PIDO, said that even the extended deadline for the Mahalaxmi Dobhan-Makaibari road had expired in June. 

"We did not extend the contract any further because work is in its final stages. The plan is to complete construction before the end of August and begin blacktopping," he said.

Chaudhary informed that 60 metres of the six-kilometre road remained to be paved with concrete and Hume pipes needed to be laid in three places. "We have called the tender for blacktopping and we hope to complete it within this fiscal year," he shared.

But the Stakeholders' Committee disputed this and said that the contractor had not fulfilled their contractual obligations. 

It said that the company had not completely laid the gravel in some places and asked the provincial Ministry of Physical Infrastructure to build temporary roads and water outlets so that travel does not come to a complete halt during days of heavy rain.

Jiwan Lama, former chairman of Indrasarowar Rural Municipality and coordinator of MRSC, told The Rising Nepal that concerned locals and bodies had advised the ministry to not destroy the ancient water source present near Ram Krishna Lama's house while building the road and make the Mahalaxmi Dobhan-Makaibari section at least 10 metres wide.

Amar Construction: Most extensions, least progress

Lalitpur PIDO's head Pushkar Prasad Pokharel said that contractor Amar Construction had not worked in a satisfactory manner considering the number of extensions it had got. "We have only recorded a progress of 55 per cent," he said. 

"The company is asking for yet another extension but we are not in favour of granting it."

The company was contracted to upgrade the eight-kilometre road and blacktop it. The third extension to its contract required it to finish all work by June. But it did not and is asking for yet more time. "We will impose a penalty or scrap the contract altogether if the company does not work as per our requirements," Pokharel warned.

MRSC's Lama said that he was baffled by the negligence of Amar Construction. "It has not worked seriously despite receiving help and support from all sides and the relevant authorities have also not pushed it in time. So, we have approached the provincial ministry," he said.