The extension of the Narayanghat-Gondrang road to six lanes, reaching the main market area of Chitwan, faces a budgetary shortfall with just a few weeks remaining before the contract expires.
In the current fiscal year, no additional budget has been allocated by the government after the contractor company received a payment of Rs 50 million for the road expansion project. As a result, there is a slim chance for completing the work by mid-December.
According to the contractor company, more than Rs 450 million will be required to complete the road extension work which is 6 km long.
Sources say that the government is considering allocating a sum ranging between RS 100 million and 120 million to address the risk of work halt due to a budget shortfall. However, this amount may still be insufficient.
More than 80 percent of the physical progress has been achieved in the road expansion. Sahadev Khadka, the head of the construction company, claimed that all the work can be completed within three months if the government provides the necessary budget. However, he said, there is an increased concern that the lack of budget may halt the project.
“The festivals are over, winter has arrived, and the government has provided funds as per the contract. We have no problem completing the work. The site is almost cleared, with some water supply work in front of the metropolis remaining to be done,” said Khadka. “If everything is facilitated, the work will speed up. We are ready.”
He said that because the government did not provide enough budget, it was not possible to work quickly, so the process for extending the contract was also advanced.
The work of blacktopping the road has been completed from Gondrang to Chaubiskothi near Tikauli forest, and from Chaubiskothi to Bharatpur Oralo. However, the upper layer is still pending, particularly in the Narayanghat market area.
The delay in the service lane work on both sides has caused concern among business owners in the market, with areas like Lions Chowk, Pulchowk, and others becoming dusty. The road expansion project, estimated to cost Rs 1.23 billion, has received almost Rs 800 million in payments so far.
As Bharatpur Metropolitan City plans to celebrate 2024 as the Bharatpur Visit Year, there is concern among business owners that the roads in the Narayanghat market area will remain unfinished. Business representatives, including the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chitwan, are pressuring the Road Division Office, Bharatpur Metropolitan City, and the District Administration Office to expedite the completion of the road expansion project.
The then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli laid the foundation stone of the road in Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September), 2020. However, after the deadline for the construction expired in Falgun (mid-February to mid-March), 2079 BS, it was extended till Mangsir (mid-November to mid-December), 2080 BS.
