Mid-Hill Highway: Jajarkot section yet to be blacktopped

No works have begun for the blacktopping of Jajarkot section along the Mid-Hill Highway though only three months are left for the termination of contract. Only track opening and widening is going on now.

Sharma, Singh and Brothers JV Kathmandu was contracted for blacktopping the 35-km roadway in 30 months. It is sheer inconvenience to the people and vehicles on the dusty road now. The contract was made that the road would be blacktopped by widening it to seven meter. JV’s representative Bishwas Uprety informed although the works were divided into two parts and assignment made accordingly, blacktopping could not begin. For the first part, Rs 492 million was said to be spent while the remaining Rs 504 million in the next part. Currently, cutting down of tough cliff of Mantar is underway now, he added. Meanwhile, the retention wall, and gullies on the sides have been damaged due to the use of substandard cement and sand.

The technical team has declared the construction substandard and accused of contracting locals for it. The technicians argued that there was no quality maintained in the expansion of road track. Moreover, the transportation has been affected badly after the construction of bridge over the Bheri River along Mid-High Highway was botched up for eight years. Even the base has not been created for the bridge linking Chaurajahari of Rukum Paschim to Kudu of Jajarkot.

The YP Construction had contracted in 2069BS for the bridge construction in three years. Even the substructure is not readied for the bridge to be constructed at Rs 134 million. As a result, the people around bound to use suspension bridge for movement.