Blacktop highway before festival: Nawalpur CDO

By Bomalal Giri

Nawalpur, Sept. 3: Chief District Officer (CDO) of Nawalpur, Bhabishwar Pandey, has instructed the Chinese contractor company China State Engineering Corporation Pvt. Ltd. to expedite works along the Narayanghat–Butwal section of the East-West Highway ahead of major festivals, including Dashain and Tihar.

Summoning the company’s representatives to his office, CDO Pandey directed them to intensify blacktopping and road leveling works, fill potholes, and immediately open completed bridges for public use.

“Thousands of people will travel during the festive season. I have directed the contractor to ensure that there will be no inconvenience to travelers,” Pandey said, adding that constant monitoring of the roadworks will be carried out.

Travelers have complained that the Daunne section remains particularly difficult to pass. Pandey instructed the contractor to speed up work in that stretch, in addition to operationalising bridges where road approaches are incomplete.

In response, the company assured that bridges at Jayashree, Kawasoti, Chormara, Arunkhola, and Dumkibas will be opened before Dashain. However, Project Manager Rakesh Jha admitted that only 1 percent physical progress has been made since the contract deadline was extended for the fourth time on July 24.

According to Jha, monsoon rains have slowed progress, with the overall physical progress of the Narayanghat–Butwal road section currently standing at 71 per cent.

The extended deadline for the eastern section (Gaindakot to Daunne) is July 23, 2026, while the western section (Daunne to Butwal) has a deadline of July 21, 2026. The Department of Roads has expressed confidence that blacktopping in Daunne will be completed before the upcoming Dashain festival.

The project, contracted for Rs. 17 billion, includes upgrading the highway into a six-lane road in market areas, four lanes through forest areas, and three lanes at Daunne.