Minister Ghising committed to speeding up Kamala bridge construction

Siraha, Nov 21: Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Kulman Ghising, has expressed the commitment to accelerate the construction work of the bridge over the Kamala River, which connects Siraha and Dhanusha under the Postal Road.     

Although the contract for the construction of the bridge was made about 14 years ago, the construction has not been completed, and Minister Ghising carried out an on-site inspection today after complaints that the local residents have been facing inconvenience due to the delay.     

"I have heard many times about the Kamala Bridge, which is the lifeline of this region and Madhesh as a whole. Without the construction of Kamala Bridge, the overall development of this area cannot happen," he said on the occasion.     

Minister Ghising, along with Youth and Sports Minister Bablu Gupta, Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Keshav Kumar Sharma, Director General of the Department of Roads Bijay Jaishi, Director of the Postal Highway Directorate, Head of the Planning Office Janakpur, Krishna Kumar Mahto, and Gen Z leaders Sudan Gurung, Shiva Yadav, Purushottam Yadav and others, conducted a joint inspection of the under-construction Kamala Bridge.     

An agreement was reached in May 2011 with Pappu Lumbini JV to construct a bridge at a cost of Rs 249.1 million. The bridge, which was supposed to be completed by December 2014, has not yet been finished. The agreement for the bridge construction is currently in the process of a ninth extension.     

This bridge, with a total length of 469 metres, has achieved 83 percent physical progress and 82 percent financial progress so far.     

Minister Ghising on the occasion stated that the concerned authorities are investigating the irregularities in past bridge constructions and those found guilty will be punished according to the law.     

Meanwhile, speaking to journalists in Janakpurdham today, Minister Ghising reiterated that the House of Representatives elections will be held on the declared date.     

He urged everyone to be confident that the election will be held on the scheduled date of March 5, 2026 as the government is committed and busy preparing for the election, stating that the environment for the election is gradually building up and the people are also excited for the election.(RSS)