90 per cent of Bhedabari to Dhuliyabit section of Madan Bhandari Highway blacktopped

By Our Correspondent,Surkhet, Apr. 20: The blacktopping on the section of the Bhedabari to Dhuliyabit of Madan Bhandari Highway in eastern Surkhet has reached its final stage.

The blacktopping work of this 35-km road in East Surkhet is in full swing. So far, 90 per cent of the road in the section has been blacktopped. 

According to the Madan Bhandari Highway Project Office, Surkhet, 29 km of the 35-km road in East Surkhet has been blacktopped. 

Engineer of the Office Resham Oli said that 29 km of the road has been blacktopped so far and the remaining 6 km of the road is also being blacktopped. 

According to him, the construction of the bridges in this section has also been completed and regular traffic is being operated.

Engineer Oli said that the overall work of the eastern section of the Madan Bhandari Highway is now in its final stage. 

Most of the bridges to be built in this section have been constructed; now only one bridge remains to be built, he said. 

The contract agreement was signed on July 12, 2021 to construct this road connecting Birendranagar, Lekbeshi to Gurbhakot Bhedabari. 

Kalika Vedansi JV, Kailali, has been awarded the contract to complete the upgradation work by January 12, 2024. The deadline was extended until January 10, 2025.

The deadline was extended again after the work was not completed by that date. 

The last deadline was extended until September 14, 2025. Although the project aimed to construct 12 motorable bridges, work on 11 bridges has been completed so far. 

Him Sagarmatha Construction Company, Chitwan, which was given the responsibility of constructing seven bridges, has completed the work on all seven bridges. The company had signed a contract for Rs. 265.6 million to build the bridges.

After the vehicles started plying in the east part after being blacktopped, the life of the residents of the area has become easier. 

Locals said that it used to take three to four hours to reach the district headquarters, Birendranagar, but now it takes almost one hour. Rudra Bahadur Nepali, Ward Chairman of Lekbeshi Municipality-7, said that now the road has been blacktopped night buses to Kathmandu also use this road. 

He said that vehicles that used to come sporadically when the road was unpaved now come regularly after it has been blacktopped. 

He said that it has become much easier and faster to transport goods produced in this area to the district headquarters.

Locals said that the road, which was initially named Bhedabari-Dhuliabit, was not upgraded for nearly three decades, but was upgraded after the Madan Bhandari Highway was connected.

Although the blacktopping work of the eastern section of the Madan Bhandari Highway has reached the final stage, the western section has been delayed due to disputes.  It is said that the work was stopped after locals obstructed it in Bijaura, Gutu-Balde section of Chaukune Rural Municipality.