Sarlahi section of blacktopped postal road breaks in two years

By Our Correspondent,Sarlahi, Aug 8: The Postal Highway section in Sarlahi, which was blacktopped after years of wait, has started breaking in two years after it was blacktopped. 

Two years ago, the locals got rid of dust and mud after the road was blacktopped. 

The locals, who were happy with the blacktopping of the road, are now disappointed when the tarred road began breaking in many places. 

The Postal Highway developed potholes in many places from the Bagmati River of Balara Municipality to the Hardi River at Sheetalpur of Parsa Rural Municipality.

The 15-km road section from Malangawa, the district headquarters of Mahottari, to Sheetalpur, was blacktopped by Himdung and Thokar Hira and Namita JV. 

The construction company had left the road by doing only Double-Coat Surface Dressing (DBSD), which resulted in the damage in two years. The construction company blacktopped the road in haste two years ago after it could not bear the pressure of the people affected by dust emanating from the road. 

There was a delay in the last phase of blacktopping of the road and the first layer of tar began breaking. 

Ranjit Yadav, an engineer of the Postal Highway Project Office, said that there was no need to worry as the final phase of blacktopping was yet to be done. "This is not the final blacktopping. All potholes will be repaired in the final phase of work," he said. 

The Postal Highway Project has been urging the contractors to complete the final phase of blacktopping work. "We have already sent a letter to the contractor," said Krishna Mahato, Chief of the Postal Highway Office. 

"Once the rain stops, the work will proceed to complete the blacktopping before Dashain,” he said.  

Dozens of settlements bordering India in Sarlahi district use the postal road to reach Malangawa. Locals in the southern belt have started using the postal road to reach Janakpur, the provincial capital.

The contract to blacktop the Postal Highway section was awarded in 2015, but the work was delayed by the contractor under different pretexts.  

People have been complaining that quality roads were constructed in neighbouring Mahottari district, but in Sarlahi the blacktopped road broke in two years.