Mechi corridor road contract ended after 63 months of no progress, another contract stalled

Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal has announced that the contract for the Belase-Golakharka pass section of road under the Mechi corridor has been terminated.

The decision came after work on the 9.5-kilometer stretch of the alternative road connecting Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung dragged on for years. The section was contracted in about 270 million rupees on Asar 29, 2078, with a deadline of Poush 29, 2080.

According to Minister Lamsal, despite repeated deadline extensions totaling 63 months, physical progress has remained limited to about 47 percent and financial progress to about 45 percent.

He said the remaining work would soon be taken forward through a new process under a multi-year contract once funding is secured. On social media, he said contracts left unattended for years would no longer be tolerated.

Meanwhile, a new contract process is under way to blacktop the Mangsebung-Larumba-Chisapani section of the road connecting Damak in Jhapa with Mangsebung in Ilam. The Road Division Office in Damak has published a notice of intent to award a new contract.

According to the notice, Mahalaxmi-Jaya Dhananjaya JV has been shortlisted with a bid of about 1.23 billion rupees. The roughly 25.5-kilometer stretch was originally contracted in Falgun 2076, with a target of blacktopping within three years.

This road features in Prime Minister Balendra Shah's election agenda. Minister Lamsal called the move an important step toward fulfilling that commitment.