Fate of Dhulikhel-Khawa road uncertain this monsoon

By Kedar Timalsina,Banepa, June 10: The construction of the much-awaited Dhulikhel-Khawa road section under the Araniko Highway remains in uncertainty. Lawmakers have been frequently raising the poor condition of the road section in the House of Representatives for months. 

The road construction project has come to a standstill after the contract with the construction company was terminated due to failure to complete the work within the stipulated and extended deadlines. 

The Road Division Office, Bhaktapur, terminated the contract with Gauri Parbati Nirman Sewa, which had been awarded the contract for the road section, on February 2.

Even four months after the contract termination, the process for a new contract has not moved forward, leading to further uncertainty about the fate of the road.  

Concerns have grown among the public that the road might be blocked during the upcoming monsoon due to mud and landslides. 

Senior Divisional Engineer (SDE) and the head of the Road Division Office, Bhaktapur, Suman Yogesh, said that after the contract termination, the office had prepared a new cost estimate for the road construction. 

“We have estimated a cost of around Rs. 420 million for the expansion of the Dhulikhel-Khawa road section and sent the proposal to the Ministry of Finance seeking approval for funding. However, we have not yet received approval,” said Yogesh. 

He said that the office cannot call for a new tender without approval from the Ministry of Finance. 

He confirmed that the tender call would be made immediately after receiving the ministry’s consent. 

He also mentioned that the Road Division Office has deployed some workforce and construction materials, including gravel, a grader, tripper and water tanker to the field to deal with possible road blockages during the monsoon. 

He said that all construction works, except for drainage, need to be redone from the beginning along the Dhulikhel-Khawa road section. 

He added that after the contract was terminated, letters were sent to the banks to withdraw the performance bond (PB) and advance payment guarantee (APG), and the process of blacklisting the contractor had begun. 

However, the court issued a stay order, instructing that the PB and APG be kept in their current state, and the blacklisting process be put on hold. 

A contract agreement was signed between the Road Division Office, Bhaktapur, and Gauri Parbati Nirman Sewa Pvt. Ltd on June 3, 2022, for the expansion of the 4.155-kilometre Dhulikhel-Khawa road section, with a deadline of 22 months, which expired on April 1, 2024. 

Member of the House of Representatives Gokul Prasad Baskota had repeatedly raised the issue in the parliament.