Warning signs installed at Guigad Khola bridge

BY SHER BAHADUR SARKI, Bajura, May 31: The Road Division Office, Achham, has imposed a penalty of more than Rs. 179.9 million on the contractor company responsible for constructing a concrete bridge over the Guigad Khola along the Sanfe-Martadi Highway in Bajura.

Rajendra Thegim JV Kailali had been awarded a contract worth Rs. 59.61 million to construct a 60-metre-long bridge over the Guigad Khola.

However, because the bridge was not built according to the approved design, the Road Division Office, Achham, has now imposed a penalty of Rs. 179,932,084 on the company.

The contract agreement was signed on July 14, 2011, with a completion deadline of August 14, 2013. Later, the Road Division Office extended the deadline until December 15, 2020. 

Although the company completed the bridge, the structure did not meet the design specifications. As a result, the Road Division Office, Achham, cancelled the contract and imposed the penalty.

Engineer Bikram Bhujel of the Road Division Office, Achham, said that the contract with Rajendra Thegim JV Kailali was terminated because the company failed to construct the bridge according to the approved design.

He said, “We repeatedly notified the company to complete the bridge as per the contract specifications. However, the company ignored our instructions. As a result, we terminated the contract. In addition, the company is now required to pay a penalty of Rs. 179,932,084."

The office has also issued a 35-day notice inviting bids for a new contract. So far, no company has submitted a bid for the reconstruction project. Meanwhile, according to Bhujel, the original contractor has filed a legal case in Kathmandu's Thapathali area challenging the decision.

When the company attempted to hand over the bridge after construction, a team of engineers from the Road Division Office, Achham, and the Bridge Directorate conducted a load test. During the test, three trucks carrying 15 tons each were driven onto the bridge, causing it to crack.

According to the Road Division Office, the bridge was designed to withstand a load of 45 tons. Since it failed the load test, the office has restricted its use by allowing only one vehicle to cross at a time and has installed warning signs on the bridge.

The bridge is located over the Guigad Khola between Ward Nos. 3 and 5 of Budhiganga Municipality. The Guigad Khola is known as one of the major challenges for local transportation in Bajura. The stream swells significantly during the monsoon season and remains relatively calm during the winter.

Construction of the bridge began on July 14, 2011, to facilitate easier transportation across the stream. Although the bridge was eventually completed, it was not built according to the approved design and is now in a deteriorated condition. The Road Division Office, Achham, has issued a notice to demolish the existing structure and construct a new bridge.

Engineer Bhujel stated that despite the publication of the 35-day notice for a new bridge contract, no company has submitted a bid so far.