Uncertainty surrounding the long-delayed Belbas-Bethari ‘model’ road project in Rupandehi district is finally over after the federal government agreed to release fresh funds through the Lumbini provincial government, paving the way for construction to resume after a halt of nearly six years.

The 22-kilometre road was envisioned as a flagship tourism corridor linking the city of Butwal with Bethari in Mayadevi Rural Municipality and connecting Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, to the East-West Highway. However, the project had remained partially abandoned due to funding and coordination failures between the federal and provincial governments. Often described as a “lifeline” for Lumbini’s tourism ambitions, the project stalled after the federal government transferred responsibility to the province without allocating a budget. The federal move was widely criticised by the locals.

The federal government has now committed Rs180 million for the current fiscal year of 2025-26. The funds will be channelled through the province, allowing work on the remaining incomplete section to move forward.

“The biggest problem was that the project was handed over without money. With the federal government ensuring Rs180 million this year, that obstacle has been removed. If needed, we will seek additional funds,” said Lumbini Province Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development Bhumishwar Dhakal.

The most problematic stretch lies in the Motipur area, where nearly three kilometres of road remain incomplete and continue to create a major bottleneck. While most of the road from Bethari to Butwal has already been constructed, this unfinished section has undermined the project’s continuity and credibility.

Local residents complain that the abandoned stretch has become a daily burden. “We have been breathing dust for years, and the road turns into a mess during the rains. Every time there was a change of government, the project was forgotten,” said a resident of Motipur.

The road runs along both banks of an irrigation canal originating from the Danav river. Planners say the corridor has the potential to become Lumbini Province’s most distinctive tourism road. According to the original design, there will be two two-lane roads on both sides of the canal, while the canal itself is to be widened and managed to allow boating. Decorative street lighting and landscaped green belts are also planned to promote night-time tourism, which remains underdeveloped in Lumbini.

The provincial Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development says the design includes seven-metre-wide roads on both sides, a two-metre cycle lane, and a 1.8-metre footpath, with greenery along the canal. The project was prepared in 2016 with an initial estimated cost of Rs 1.67 billion. However, repeated delays have driven costs sharply upward.

The road was divided into three construction packages. Two southern packages, covering 12 kilometres, have already been completed at a cost of Rs378.27 million. The northern Butwal-Betani section, stretching 8.5 kilometres, was awarded to Bajraguru Kanchharam JV for Rs608.86 million. The contractor has completed around five kilometres, but work on the remaining three kilometres in Motipur stalled despite a contractual deadline of mid-2019.

According to the Road Infrastructure Development Office in Rupandehi, overall physical progress of the entire Belbas-Bethari road stands at just 65 percent as of now. The contractor has already received Rs353.5 million, including Rs100 million in advance. Officials admit that delays were partly caused by payment uncertainties, but insist the situation has now changed. “There will be no excuse to slow down now,” said Minister Dhakal.

Senior officials at the Road Infrastructure Development Office also acknowledge that prolonged delays have inflated the project’s cost. The total estimated budget has now crossed Rs2.3 billion. Bhimarjun Pandey, secretary at the provincial ministry, said an additional Rs1 billion would be required to fully develop the corridor as a tourism route as per the master plan. “Costs have increased, but funding will no longer be the main hurdle. We have assurances that resources will be arranged as required,” he said.

For local residents and tourism entrepreneurs, the renewed commitment offers cautious hope that a road once promoted as a symbol of Lumbini Province’s ambitions may finally move beyond promises and paperwork.