Eight bridges along Tamor Corridor still incomplete

BY KABIRAJ GHIMIRE,Hile, Mar. 30: Of the 110-kilometre road section under the Tamor Corridor Road project, stretching from Mulghat in Dhankuta to Ganeshchowk in Panchthar, 73 kilometres have already been blacktopped. Preparations are underway to blacktop the remaining section as well. 

Although road construction has been progressing rapidly, the construction of bridges along the route has been moving at a very slow pace. Due to delays in building bridges on the Tamor Corridor, which connects Taplejung to the Tarai, travellers have been facing significant difficulties. According to traveller Anup Niraula, the lack of bridges often leaves vehicles stranded mid-journey due to sudden flooding in rivers.

So far, eight bridges along this road section have not been completed. Among the bridges currently under construction, work on the Chharuwa River bridge is 75 per cent complete, the Nawa River bridge is 50 per cent complete, the Lakhuwa and Raghuwa River bridges are 27 per cent complete, and the Kambuwa River bridge has reached 25 per cent progress.

However, construction has not yet begun on the Hewa, Larippa, and Waghuwa River bridges. The Bridge Sector Office in Dharan stated that delays have been caused by budget shortages and negligence on the part of construction companies. Engineer Nabin Shah from the Bridge Sector Office, Dharan, informed that the Chharuwa Bridge is expected to be completed by the end of Asar, the Nawa, Lakhuwa, Larippa, and Hewa bridges by the end of Falgun, and the Waghuwa, Kambuwa, and Raghuwa bridges by Baisakh 19, as per the agreements.

For the construction of the Chharuwa River Bridge, Lumbini Rauta Khani JV was awarded a contract worth Rs. 172.38 million (including VAT and PS). Similarly, Sharma Sagun JV secured a contract worth Rs. 372.15 million for the construction of bridges over the Nawa, Lakhuwa, Hewa, and Larippa rivers. Likewise, Kumar Shrestha Swaminarayan Ashirwad JV was awarded a contract worth Rs. 225.75 million for the construction of bridges over the Waghuwa, Kambuwa, and Raghuwa rivers. Although all three contracts were signed in 2021, the construction work has not progressed as expected.

Local Mahendra Neupane stated that repeated flooding and negligence by construction companies had caused delays in bridge construction. This road is a major and shorter route connecting the Tarai with residents of Taplejung, Panchthar, as well as the remote areas of Dhankuta and Tehrathum. However, due to delays in timely construction, the road remains closed for extended periods during the monsoon season because of river flooding.