Kamala-Dhalkebar-Pathalaiya road widening: much time passed, little work done

Work to widen the Kamala-Dhalkebar-Pathalaiya section of the East-West Mahendra Highway to four lanes has fallen significantly behind schedule. With 68 percent of the contracted time period elapsed, construction contractors have completed only 30 percent of the work.

Under this project of national pride, contracts have been awarded in three sections to widen the 74.75-kilometre road from the Kamala Bridge in Dhanusha to the Bagmati Bridge in Sarlahi over three years. The plan calls for six lanes in market areas and four lanes elsewhere.

The first section, a 22-kilometre stretch from Kamala Bridge to Badaharamal, is being built by India's KK Infrastructure Limited. The second section runs from Badaharamal to Phuljor in Sarlahi.

According to project chief and senior divisional engineer Rajesh Kumar Das, work is more than 30 percent behind schedule. He said that at the current pace, the widening cannot be completed within three years and the deadline will have to be extended.