10 years on, bridge construction remains incomplete

By Hariprasad Koirala,Urlabari, May 10: The construction of a bridge over the Maria-Bakraha River connecting Jogidhap and Kechana in Sunbarshi Municipality-1, Morang, was a major election agenda for major political parties during the second Constituent Assembly (CA) elections in 2013. However, its construction has remained incomplete even a decade after its construction began. 

The bridge construction began in 2014 at the initiative of Chandi Prasad Rai after he was elected to the second Constituent Assembly from Morang. Since then, the former Amaradaha VDC has been a part of Sunbarshi Municipality. 

Two rounds of federal, provincial and local elections have taken place after the bridge construction began. Nepali Congress and UML have alternately won local, municipal and federal elections, while the UML has consistently won the seat of the Provincial Assembly. But the bridge remains incomplete. 

Lila Ballav Adhikari, elected from Sunbarshi-1, has served as a minister in Koshi Province three times. Influential Congress leader Dr. Minendra Prasad Rijal was elected to the federal parliament in 2017, and in 2022, Rishikesh Pokharel of the UML was elected to the federal parliament from the area. He currently chairs the Public Accounts Committee in the federal parliament. 

Adhikari, MP of Morang-2(B), said, “We repeatedly exerted pressure on the contractor to complete the bridge. We even sent delegations, but the contractor did not listen to us either.” 

He said that he raised the issue in the Provincial Assembly as well and blamed the failure on the lack of responsibility and accountability from the government, the construction company and regulatory bodies.

 “Since it is a federal project, they did not pay attention to our voices,” he said. He also urged people not to assume that a former minister or MP remained silent about the bridge in his own ward.

MP and Public Accounts Committee Chair Rishikesh Pokharel, elected from the constituency (Morang -2) where the bridge stands incomplete, said that he raised the issue in the Hou of Representatives again on May 6, 2025. “The Bridge Division of the Roads Department is not accountable. We suggested either demolishing and rebuilding the bridge or testing and operating it if it meets standards, but the technicians have not responded,” he said.

Ward Chair of Sunbarshi-1, Bir Bahadur Rai, said that the bridge construction is complete and only soil-filling work on both side remains left . “We have requested time and again that they test the load capacity and operate it if it meets standards, or demolish it if not,” he said.

“We have submitted multiple requests to the District Administration Office and the Roads Department’s Bridge Division. But MPs, ministers and even the Chief District Officer keep repeating that the construction company has not cooperated,”

According to him, Yuvraj Dangi, the operator of Nilgiri Construction, is currently out of contact.

Local Tikaram Basnet said, “When it was announced in 2014 that a 40-metre-long and 11-metre-wide bridge would be built, people here celebrated with joy. But now it has been 10 years, and the bridge is still incomplete. Things are even worse than before. The VDC turned into a municipality, wards changed, and people’s 

representatives changed repeatedly. But no one could hold the contractor accountable.”

Nilgiri Construction had taken on the project to build the bridge for Rs. 38.5 million, with a scheduled completion time of two years.