Projects worth millions left in limbo in Morang

Hari Prasad Koirala,Urlabari, May 8: Six development projects in the rural areas of southern Morang have been left stranded for a long time.

Construction of a bridge over the Mariyabatraha River in Sunwarsi Municipality-1, Morang district, started in 2015, but the construction work is in Limbo. The bridge was an election agenda since the Constituent Assembly election in 2008. The then Constituent Assembly member Chandi Prasad Rai elected from Morang-2 started the project using the Constituency Development Fund.

The bridge was expected to connect Kochana and Jogdhapi of Sunwarshi-1. Farmers who had land on both sides of the Mariyabatraha River had to commute 8 km to take their tractors in their fields across the river.

Tikaram Basnet, a local, said that the locals were delighted when construction of the 40-meter-long and 11-meter-wide bridge began.

Nilgiri Construction was granted a contract for Rs. 38.5 million to build the bridge. However, according to locals, the carelessness on the part of the contractor resulted in the delay in the bridge construction.

Rishikesh Pokhrel, a member of the House of Representatives elected from Morang-2, said, "I urged the construction company and the government agency overseeing the project to complete the project as soon as possible."

He added, "The government agency said that the bridge needs to be demolished as it does not meet the required standards, but the construction company says that the bridge should be brought into operation as millions of rupees have already been invested."

Lawmaker Pokhrel said that the bridge construction was in limbo due to the irresponsibility and lack of accountability of the construction company, related agencies and the governing bodies.

He added that their job was to give advice and solutions, not to monitor the project.

Morang's Ratuwamai Municipality's Ward No. 5 and 6 also have similar sagas of an incomplete bridge. A bridge over the Katnu River between the two wards has remained stranded for the last six years.

Janaki Construction, Jankapur, was awarded the construction contract for Rs. 33.37 million in 2018. The handover process of the bridge was to be completed by the end of June 2020.

The 25-meter-long and 15-meter-wide bridge has not been completed even in five years. Rishikesh Pokhrel the then Constituent Assembly member and current member of the House of Representatives had managed the budget for the new bridge stating that the old bridge was unable to meet the needs of the locals.

The old bridge is unusable and the new bridge has not been built yet by the contractor, so the locals are facing immense difficulties, said locals. The locals were disappointed as the bridge's construction was not completed even five years after the commencement of the work.

Tularam Luitel, chairman of Ward NO. 6 said, "We have put forward our grievances to the parliamentarians, but the construction companies have turned a deaf ear to their requests as well."

According to Som Bahadur Karki, Chairman of Ward No.5, Janaki Construction outsourced the work to another company after receiving the advance budget. When the outsourced company started the job and asked for the payment, it was found that the Janaki Construction Company had already received the payment. The company that had taken the work has filed a lawsuit against the old company.

Another bridge over the Dhadra River of Ulughut West, Ratuwamai 5, has been left stranded for over six years. Problems related to financial transactions arose after the construction company entrusted the work to the other contractor. The issue has reached the court and the case is yet to be decided.

Padam Prasad Prasai, a local, said, "The work stopped after the court case. It's been five years, the work has not yet progressed."

On the other hand, construction of a canal on the border of Kanepokhari- 3 and Rangeli-9 began nine years ago but has not been completed yet.

The government had formulated an ambitious project to build a canal to provide irrigation facilities to farmers of Darbesha and Rangeli. Eastern Irrigation Division Office No. 2 Sunsari granted the contract to Paini Yakthum and VP Construction JV Lahan.

The estimated budget for the canal construction was Rs. 60 million but the tendered company looked to complete the work for 35% less. The company took a contract for Rs. 37,754,987 and agreed to start the work on Mangsir 23, 2071 BS, and complete the construction and handover process by January 2016.

According to the locals, the company made various excuses to delay the work. Panchu Chaudhary, a resident, said that the company brought some construction materials but has not been spotted after that.

After repeated requests, the Water Disaster Control and Irrigation Development Division Office, Biratnagar, extended the deadline for the construction from July 2016 to July 2017. However, after working for a week, the company went out of contact.

It has been eight years since the work on Geuria Bridge on the Kanepokhari-Rangeli road has been in limbo. The latest plan was to complete the bridge by May 2024. However, the work remains halted and the contractor company is out of touch. This was the sixth time the Construction Company assured the completion of the bridge.

It has been six years since a suspension bridge over the Ratuwa River connecting Satmedi of Ratuwmai-10 to Jhapa has fallen into despair. An RCC bridge has already been built on the same river south of Satmedi, but the suspension bridge has remained incomplete.