As per the plan of Department of Roads, the 50-km-long road which extends from Rani Customs in Biratnagar to Dharan will be broadened to 30 m within the next 10 years. The project is estimated to cost Rs 10 billion.

Project head Bijay Chapagain said that expansion of a 3-km stretch from Bargachi to Rajbanshi Chowk, Biratnagar has already begun. “The construction  of this section of the road will be complete within two years,” said Chapagain. The government has released Rs 340 million in the first phase to expand the road. Chapagain added it would take seven to 10 years to complete the entire 50-km road.

The Jogmani-Dharan road is the entry point to the Koshi Highway. However, it is becoming narrower due to increasing urbanization. Thousands of passenger vehicles and trucks transporting industrial raw materials use the road.

Markets in Biratnagar, Itahari and Dharan have been expanding continuously and its impact has been clearly seen on this road. Trees planted along the road are being chopped down to widen it. The contractor has started bringing stones to the project site.

There are 143 trees on the 3-km-long Bargachi-Rajbanshi Chowk stretch of the road. Most of them are Bo trees. Locals have protested

against the chopping down of the Bo trees which are considered holy and are worshipped as per Hindu tradition. However, the authorities have been aggressively carrying out the job of cutting them down claiming there is no other alternative.

According to the District Forest Office Morang, there are 45 Bo trees and 38 Bar trees along the 3-km road.

The trees which have stood there since ages are 3 ft to 18 ft in girth.

The Department of Roads had acquired permission from the District Forest Office to chop them down.