Bhavimaya Rai of Aanptar in Rauta Mai Rural Municipality-5, Udayapur, was 50 years old when the construction of the Sagarmatha Highway began. Rai is now 78, but the highway project is not yet completed.

“It is so disheartening,” said Rai.

The construction of the highway began 28 years ago to link Diktel, the headquarters of Khotang with Gaighat of Udayapur and Kadmaha of Saptari on the East-West highway. In 1994, then Prime Minister Manmohan Adhikari inaugurated the construction work at Bokse in Gaighat.

Though the opening of the road on both Udayapur and Khotang sections was completed a decade ago, the upgradation and blacktopping of the highway is yet to be completed.

People in the northern parts of Udayapur and southern parts of Khotang have been facing serious difficulties in travelling and trading during the rainy season.

The upgradation and blacktopping of the 101-kilometres long Gaighat-Mahure section is urgently needed. The stretch has been in a dilapidated condition as only 35 kilometres of the section has been asphalted so far.

The 30 km-long Mahure-Diktel section, which has already been blacktopped, falls under the Mid-Hill Highway.

The work on the Adherikhola-Phok Singstar section in Udayapur district and Phoksingtar-Simpani and Simpani-Mahure sections in Khotang have been in limbo.

Though a contract had been signed with the Mainachuli-Siddhisai Prakash JV on August 30, 2018 for the upgradation and blacktopping of the Adherikhola-Phoksingtar section by April 11, 2022 for Rs111.7 million, it was revoked last month.

Similarly, the contract with Devnarayan Pawan-Mainachuli-Khamppa JV for blacktopping 26 Kilometres-long Phokingtar-Simpani section has also been revoked.

“The agreement with Devnarayan Pawan-Mainachuli-Khamppa JV was signed on July 26, 2016 to complete the work by August 14, 2020 at Rs 558.7 million,” said Gopal Prasad Khakurel, chief of the Gaighat-Diktel Road Project. “But, we revoked the contract after the construction company failed to carry out the work efficiently.”

Though the contract was signed on July 4, 2016 for the upgradation and blacktopping of the 23 kilometres-long Simpani-Mahure section by July 13, 2020 at Rs 460 million, the contractor did not meet the set deadline.

“The deadline for work in the section has been extended to mid-July this year,” said Surya Prasad Sedai, chief district officer of Khotang.

“The work in the Simpani-Mahure section has been going at a snail’s pace,” said Dinesh Rai, chairman of Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi Municipality Ward-14.

Earlier, the contractors had been delaying the work citing the lack of a concrete bridge over the Sunkoshi River at Phoksingtar connecting the two districts, said locals. “But they have not been working effectively even after the bridge has come into operation.”

Though the construction work of the bridge is yet to be completed, it was brought into operation last month.

The highway is also important for the economic development of the Khotang district. The traders in the district say the highway once completed would reduce the transportation cost of goods by Rs5 per kg.

The opening of the track from Rautamai in Udayapur to Phoksingtar was completed around eight years ago. The track, however, has been poorly managed.

Though the project suffered from budget-related issues in its initial years, the project officials said that the budget is no longer an issue.

“Of the Rs3.5 billion budget for the highway project, only Rs1.85 billion has been spent so far,” said Khakurel, the project chief. “The work would have been completed if the contractors had worked with honesty.”

The 50 kilometres-long Mahure-Phoksingtar section of the highway, which had been made under the joint investment of Rs600 million of Nepal and the Swiss government, is also yet to be asphalted.