Serious negligence has been detected in the blacktopping of the Bariyar-Paterwa stretch of the Postal highway, often called the ‘lifeline of the Tarai’.

The 17-km stretch, which is currently being upgraded, has developed cracks and fissures only days after the road was blacktopped.

Use of sub-par material and an impetuous design and estimate’ method are what has caused the problem, said a technician at the Adarshakotwal Rural Municipality, in Bara.

Since detecting the problems, the office of the Postal highway in Birgunj has directed the contractor company to immediately fix the road. The office has also received complaints and criticism from locals.

The contract for the project was handed over to Raman/Lokvir Construction Company in February 2016. While the deadline of the project was February 2019, the road remains incomplete. Officials at the office of the highway said that the contractor has already received about 80 percent of the contract amount.

The company has started repairing the blacktopping, according to Sunil Kumar Gupta, a site engineer at the Office.

While the initial work was finished, the office has refused to take over the construction after detecting cracks in the road. The road had a total budget of Rs 180million.

While several sections of the road have developed cracks and erosion, other sections are left without blacktopping. There is also apparent negligence in the cleanliness of the finished sections with pebbles and concrete strewn about on the road.

Manoj Jaiswal, a local of Paterwa, said that there is virtually no inspection from the office of the Postal highway, while the road continues to create more questions than answers.

“The lack of cleanliness has increased the risk of accidents,” said Jaiswal. “Even though the blacktopping was expected to be beneficial, it has invited further problems, beating its own purpose.”