Five bridges along Bheri Corridor will be built within two years: Minister Dahal

Kathmandu, July 22: Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Devendra Dahal, has said five bridges, out of 13, under the Jajarkot-Dolpa section of the Bheri Corridor will be built by the next two years.     

In his reply to a query from lawmaker Maya Prasad Sharma in a meeting of the National Assembly (NA), the Minister assured this.     

"By this period, the bridge above the Jhimri Khola (Stream), Nalagad Stream, Chaukha Stream, Tatra Stream and Tatu Stream will be constructed," he said.     

As the Minister informed the Upper House, YP Construction Pvt. Ltd. was awarded the contract in 2068 BS (2011–12) to construct the bridge above Bheri River along the Pushpalal Highway (Mid-Hill Highway), connecting Rukum West and Jajarkot, with a completion deadline of three years.     

However, progress has been minimal with a single pillar and a few towers have been built so far. Additionally, under the Bheri Corridor that connects Chhinchu to Dolpa, 13 bridges, including one at Pasagad, are required to be constructed along the Jajarkot–Dolpa road section.     

According to the Minister, the company's failure to progress the bridge construction on Bheri led to the termination of the contract with the recommendation to the Public Procurement Monitoring Office for blacklisting the company on November 29, 2014.     

The first attempt for the subsequent contract management through the bidding turned failed as the quoted amount was higher than the estimated cost, and in the second attempt, no bidders approached,” he said.     

Now, the process is going on to review the cost estimation and the project is expected to resume in the current fiscal year 2082/83 B.S. (2025/26 A.D.) following the contract management.(RSS)