Construction of a three-kilometre road stretch, which passes through the heart of Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City has been left unfinished for a decade. The stretch is part of the 26-km Manmat-Matiwarwa road project.

While 23 kilometres of the road has been completed and blacktopped, the remaining three-kilometre stretch from Sitalpur to Awadhapur is in a sorry state, tarnishing the city’s appearance and causing convenience to local residents and road users..

“Local residents have repeatedly taken to the streets, demanding completion of the road project. We asked the contractor several times and urged the relevant authorities to expedite the work, but to no avail. Businesses and homeowners on the road stretch are hugely affected due to dust on sunny days and mud during the rains. The elderly, children and sick people are the most affected,” said Prakash Sonar, a resident of Bharatchowk in ward 1 of the sub-metropolitan city.

As per the project agreement, a four-lane road was to be constructed along the three- kilometre stretch from Sitalpur to Awadhapur, with pavements and roadside drainages on both sides.

“Several houses were demolished to widen the road to four lanes, leaving bricks, mud and sand scattered everywhere. The incomplete road has spoiled the beauty of Kalaiya Bazar,” lamented Sonar.

The 26-km long Manmat-Matiwarwa road is part of the Postal Highway Project, a national pride project in Nepal. The north-south highway links Matiwarwa border point along Nepal-India border with the East-West Highway at Piluwa. Viswa Constructions of India was awarded the 26-km road project in 2014, but the company abandoned it before completing the work.

Eight years ago, the government had issued a new tender to complete the road project. Aashish DS JV Construction Company was awarded the road project in two packages. It completed the road construction in a 23 kilometres section, but the three kilometres stretch from Sitalpur to Awadhapur was left unfinished.

In 2021, a third agreement was signed with Kathmandu-based Saptakoshi Jaladhar-Om Sai and Company JV to complete the remaining three kilometres at a cost of Rs223 million. As per the agreement, the road construction was to be completed by 2022. However, the project deadline was extended to mid-March, 2025 as the contractor failed to start work.

“The construction company has only just begun the work. Only around 40 metres of roadside drainage has been constructed so far,” said Sanjaya Kumar Thakur, information officer at Birgunj office of the Postal Highway Project. He said that the construction company delayed the project even after the government cleared the site months ago.

“We will proceed to terminate the contract if there is no significant progress in the construction by October. The electricity poles have already been shifted and the roadside houses demolished to widen the road. But the contractor has delayed the project under various pretexts,” said Thakur, adding that the Postal Highway Project has issued a written warning to the contractor to complete the work on time.

The incomplete road stretch has been a major headache for the sub-metropolis. The sub-metropolis spends a hefty portion of its budget each year just to control dust and maintain the road. “The sub-metropolis has spent millions of rupees over the past decade on dust control and improve transportation. Local residents constantly complain about the deplorable condition of the road,” said Binod Sah, mayor of Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City.

According to Sah, the locals have staged protests several times to pressure the authorities to complete the road project. “Members of the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives including Pradeep Yadav, Amaresh Singh and Dev Timalsena inspected the site five months ago. We have also met with the line minister and lawmakers representing these electoral constituencies urging them to take action. But the problem remains the same,” said Sah.