Heavy trucks reduce vital Rani-Dharan Road to a poor state

BY NAWARAJ KATTEL,Biratnagar, Sep. 6: Out of the 42-kilometre stretch of the Rani-Dharan Road under the Koshi Highway, 32.8 kilometres have been handed over to the Road Division Office, Biratnagar. This section was transferred from the Six-Lane Road Expansion Project Office, Itahari, under the North-South Koshi Road Project.

According to Durga Mandal, Engineer and Information Officer at the Six-Lane Road Project, 95 per cent of the physical work and 94 per cent of the overall project progress have been completed. However, work is still ongoing in two segments: a 1,800-metre stretch in Duhabi and a 5-kilometre section through the Tarhara forest in Sunsari.

Out of the total project budget of Rs. 8.84 billion, Rs. 400 million is still pending for payment. A 5-kilometre portion from Tinkune to Dharan Bazaar could not be expanded due to a boundary dispute. Completed road sections so far include Nepal-India border (Rani) to Biratnagar (6.46 km), Biratnagar to Kanchanbari (1.56 km), Kanchanbari to Duhabi (6.67 km), Duhabi to Itahari (in two parts) (9.53 km), Itahari to Tarhara (4.17 km) and Tarhara to Tinkune (4.17 km).

As per contract provisions, after the one-year defect liability period ends and the contractor completes required rectifications, the project is officially transferred to the Road Division Office.

With the road now under the Road Division Office's jurisdiction, concerns have emerged over the deteriorated condition of the Rani-Biratnagar (Dhat) segment of the Koshi Highway. The road has degraded to the point where vehicular movement has become nearly impossible.

Engineer and Information Officer at the Road Division Office, Prabhav Kiran Rai, stated that preparations were underway to begin necessary repairs. He said that damage had been particularly severe in areas where overloaded vehicles regularly operate. The Department of Roads has already been requested to allocate a budget for repair work.

Heavy trucks carrying goods from India, especially those used for industrial and commercial transportation, have caused repeated damage to this section of the road. Around 350 such vehicles enter Nepal daily via the Biratnagar Customs Office, delivering raw materials and commercial goods to the Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor. 

The 18-kilometre road from the customs office to the industrial zone has developed numerous cracks, ruts, and depressions due to constant use by heavy vehicles. Additionally, a 4-kilometre stretch from the gate of the Integrated Check Post (ICP) in Biratnagar-18 to the Link Road has also sunk, as has the corresponding portion of the Koshi Highway.

Engineer Rai said that the issues seen primarily in the western section of the six-lane Koshi Highway will be addressed through repair work.

According to Laxmi Subba, Director of TransNepal Freight Services Pvt. Ltd. (the managing authority of the ICP), vehicles entering Nepal carry loads ranging from 10 tonnes up to 90 tonnes, despite the road’s axle load limit being only 10 tonnes.

The worsening condition of the road used by these heavy vehicles, especially the segment reaching Duhabi in the Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor, has become a long-term concern for the Road Division Office.