East-West Highway expansion halted

By Hari Prasad Koirala,Urlabari, Feb. 13: Residents of Pathari Shanishchare-1 market area in Morang have warned to stop the East-West Highway expansion unless it is built to full urban standards, saying the work has begun using semi-urban specifications.

The East-West Highway is being upgraded with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Prior to construction, the government, donor agencies and local stakeholders had agreed that the road would be built with different widths depending on the area -- 24 metres in rural and forest areas, 33 metres in semi-urban areas and 50 metres in urban areas.

To build consensus, discussions and public hearings were held on road design, environmental management and impacts on affected areas. These hearings were organised by the project’s consulting firms -- Susung Engineering Consulting (Korea), in association with Environment and Resource Management and Tech Studio of Engineering Pvt. Ltd.

Public hearings were held in Urlabari, Pathari Shanishchare, Belbari and Sundarharaicha municipalities, as well as Kanepokhari Rural Municipality, with participation from all local stakeholders. 

Former Deputy Mayor of Pathari Shanishchare Municipality, Yamuna Bista, said the detailed project report (DPR) was prepared based on those hearings. She added that although an agreement was reached at the time, it is natural for residents to now demand a road similar to that in neighbouring municipalities.

In August/September 2024, another agreement was reached between the municipality, local users, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the project office and the construction company to expand the road to 50 metres. 

Local Rajendra Bhandari said the municipality had agreed to remove 82 houses, sheds and structures that would fall within the 50-metre corridor if the DPR was revised. However, he accused the municipality of failing to take action to remove these structures.

The stretch of road through Pathari market runs for about 700 metres, from Lati Holi in the east to the Pathari River in the west. Locals became suspicious after work began on the Lati Holi culvert with a width of just 24 metres. 

Bhandari said the culvert should have been built to a width of 44 metres, including footpaths and drainage, but construction started at only 24 metres. He added that the Pathari bridge is also being built as a four-lane structure, with two lanes already operational.

“As our demands were ignored, we formed a struggle committee and asked for the work to be stopped,” Bhandari said. Due to the lack of service lanes and footpaths, residents on the southern side of the highway must use the national highway to attend funerals, while those on the northern side must use it to reach the municipal office.

Bhim Kumar Rai, Chairperson of Ward No. 1 of the Pathari Shanishchare, said that expanding the road to 50 metres would affect 82 houses and sheds within the road’s right of way. 

According to him, the damage to individual structures would range from one to nine feet. He also said that there is an informal settlement with 17 houses on the northern side of the road. 

Rai said the ward office has issued a 35-day public notice regarding the removal of structures and will play its full role in the road expansion process.

Meanwhile, Pathari Shanishchare Mayor Mohan Prasad Tumbapo said that locals who had earlier agreed to a 44-metre-wide road after discussions with the project chief are now again demanding a 50-metre width.

Completing a national pride project on time is also the responsibility of the local government, he said. “We want road construction to proceed with as little damage to physical structures as possible. 

However, the municipality is not opposed to a 50-metre-wide road.” He added that the municipality has requested the project chief to halt construction until a consensus is reached.

Project chief of the western section of the East-West Highway expansion, Jagat Prajapati, said the project is ready to increase the road width from 33 metres to 44 metres. “The DPR has approved a 33-metre width. We have already agreed to build 44 metres,” he said, adding that further steps would be taken once the site is cleared.