None of the five motorable bridges being built along the Bheri Corridor in Jajarkot district has been completed nearly six years after their construction contracts were signed.

The bridges were supposed to be completed within three years. But work has either not started or remains limited to partially built pillars, delaying transport links to the remote northwestern district of Dolpa.

The Bheri Corridor, also known as the Jajarkot-Dunai-Marim-Tinje Dho Road Project, is being developed to connect Jajarkot with Dolpa. Road construction and upgrading have expanded road access towards Dolpa, but several bridges along the corridor have remained stalled for years.

Rayamajhi Caravan JV of Kathmandu was awarded contracts to build bridges over Maide Khola, Tatrakhola and Taksugad. The contract was signed on January 14, 2021, for Rs135.4389 million. Nearly six years later, the combined physical progress of the three bridges stands at just 6 percent.

The contractor has received Rs18.393 million through advance payments and running bills. But construction has yet to begin at Taksugad. At Maide Khola, the foundation for one pillar has been excavated, while only half of one pillar has been built at Tatrakhola.

The bridges over Jhuprekhola and Nalagad Khola are in a similar state. A contract worth Rs184.30 million was signed with Caravan Hirachan JV of Kathmandu on January 15, 2021, to build the two bridges. Their physical progress stands at just 12 percent.

The contractor has received Rs27.510 million under the contract. Construction has not started at Jhuprekhola, while only half of one pillar has been built at Nalagad Khola.

The five bridges have a combined contract value of Rs319.7432 million. Contractors have so far received more than Rs45.903 million in payments. Despite the payments, construction progress on all five bridges remains minimal.

Repeated extensions of construction deadlines, rather than action against contractors for failing to make progress, have added to concerns over the projects. The deadlines for both contracts have been extended until January 14, 2027. Local residents are sceptical that the bridges will be completed even within the extended deadline, after contractors failed to meet their original commitments.

The bridges were initially contracted by the Road Division Office in Chaurjahari and were later handed over to the Bheri Corridor Project. The agencies responsible for contract management and construction monitoring have faced questions over the prolonged lack of progress.

“Instead of taking action against the construction companies and terminating their contracts for failing to complete even a single bridge for years, their deadlines have been extended repeatedly,” said local resident Ganesh Baniya.

The bridges are considered important to the Bheri Corridor, which is intended to improve road connectivity between Jajarkot and Dolpa. Although roads have reached the area, the lack of bridges frequently disrupts transport during the monsoon.

When river levels rise, students, patients, elderly people and others travelling for work are forced to cross the rivers at considerable risk.