The project was aimed at saving the city from the erosions caused by Ratuwa and Mawa rivers and decentralising market areas and was supposed to be completed within a decade.

The survey of the road that goes through 14 of the total 19 Wards was completed in 2002. However, one cannot even locate the surveyed area at some locations and streams run through the tract at other locations.

“The construction work was going on full swing when we were the representatives but after local bodies were

dissolved, not even a rupee was allocated to the project for eight years,” said Bodhraj Neupane, former chairperson of Damak-8 and chairperson of Damak Ring road Construction Consumers Committee.

Former Mayor Romnath Oli said the construction

work was going on smoothly in the beginning but after the local body was dissolved, there was no one to care for the road. Local residents say the project could not

materialise as the monarchy was apathetic towards

it and local political parties were also engaged in a dispute in order to take credit for

the project.

Local resident Bal Bahadur Khatri said locals had

provided around 59 hectares of land for the 37 kilometre road project without seeking

compensation but they

started farming on the land due to political intervention and delay in construction.

“When we asked for compensation, leaders told us that our land prices would soar after the road is constructed,” said a local resident who had given a plot of land to the road project.

Neupane said around Rs 15 million has been spent on the Rs 180 million project till date and that they are planning to resume construction soon. The municipality and Division Road Office have allocated Rs 1 million and Rs 2.5 million, respectively, for the project this year.

He said the sole mission of parties should be complete the project. The committee members said they have requested the Citizens Embankment Programme to construct embankments in eroded

areas and that a gravelled tract will be constructed within three years.

‘Insufficient fund’ delays work

UDAYAPUR: Two decades into construction, the 156 kilometre Gaighat-Diktel road, also called Sagarmatha Lokmarga, has not yet been completed.

Owing to the delay, people in the northern region of Udayapur and southern Kotang are deprived of transportation services. Although the track has been opened in Udaypur section, vehicles do not ply on the road during the monsoon season.

“The track in the Udayapur was opened was opened two years ago and a section up to Ranitar in Khanbu VDC has already been completed. But the road beyond Ranitar is not motorable,” Tulsi Rai of Aanptar VDC said.

Meanwhile, transport entrepreneurs have also expressed concerns about the safety of passengers as they have been compelled to operate buses in unsafe road sections. Bus entrepreneur Uday Adhikari said their repeated requests to upgrade the track and facilitate vehicular movement have never been addressed.

According to project officials, the construction work has been delayed due to due to budget crunch. The government had started the project by establishing a field office for the Project. They said though the government included the project in its priority list, the road never received sufficient budget. If completed, the road will be the shortest route connecting Khotang to Tarai districts. (PR)