Minister Ghising inspects Kankai bridge left in middle of construction

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Oct. 13: Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport and Urban Development Kul Man Ghising conducted an on-site inspection of the long-abandoned Kankai Bridge in Jhapa on Sunday, pledging swift action to resolve the 14-year delay in its construction.

Minister Ghising has inspected the Kankai Bridge connecting Jhapa Rural Municipality-2 and Gaurigunj Rural Municipality-1 along the Postal Highway, taking information about the construction progress and holding discussions with the locals.

A contract agreement was signed with Pappu Construction and Mahadev Khimti Joint Venture (JV) for about Rs. 510 million in 2011 for the construction of the approximately 723-metre-long concrete bridge in the design and build model. 

The physical and financial progress of the bridge construction is only about 55 per cent, according to a press statement issued by Minister Ghising's secretariat.

Mentioning that he had received information that the bridge had been abandoned for a long time, Minister Ghising said that a concrete solution would be found soon after studying it in detail. 

He said, "The construction of the bridge has been stalled for a long time. We will immediately decide whether to break the contract and go for a new process or do something else with the construction contractor. We cannot keep the construction of a bridge of strategic importance linked to people's livelihood in a limbo. We will provide a solution soon."

Local residents had demanded the immediate completion of the bridge construction as they were suffering due to the lack of a bridge and it was also affecting business, trade, and tourism promotion.

The construction contractor had worked until 2019. However, after problems were found in the construction, a technical test was conducted. 

Some work was done by the construction contractor to correct the errors confirmed by the technical test. The contract agreement expired in 2023. As per the latest amendment to the Public Procurement Regulations, the construction contractor has applied for an extension of the deadline.

According to Yuba Raj Pokharel, Chief of the Postal Highway Planning Office, Itahari, eight out of the 19 spans of the bridge have been completed, while the beams of two out of the remaining 11 have been installed. 

The foundations of six have been laid, while the foundations of three are yet to be laid. 

Similarly, Minister Ghising also inspected the Kankai Sanomai Khola Bridge in Jhapa Rural Municipality-2, which was damaged due to incessant rains on October 3 and 4.

The bridge was broken due to the flood.  He urged the concerned authority to take necessary decisions after conducting a technical examination of the bridge. 

Minister Ghising's team included Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Keshab Kumar Sharma, Home Secretary Rameshwar Dangal, Director General of the Department of Roads Bijaya Jaishi, and Chief District Officer of Jhapa Gopal Kumar Adhikari, among others.