The government authority has allowed Pappu Construction, notorious for grabbing a large number of projects but not completing them on time, to repair the collapsed bridge over the Babai river at Jabdighat, Bardiya.

Ram Kumar Dev, chief at the Division Road Office in Nepalgunj, confirmed granting permission to the contractor for the repair work. “The contractor (Pappu Construction) wrote us twice, asking for permission to repair the damaged bridge and embankment,” he said.

The bridge had caved in due to floods triggered by incessant rainfall in August 2017 before it was handed over to the government authorities. Two spans had caved in as the floods damaged two pillars of the 435-metre long bridge. The public claimed the bridge had suffered damage as the contractor had used substandard materials while building the bridge.

The contractor proposed to repair the bridge at its own cost. “We are planning to repair the bridge considering the hardship faced by the local people. As the division road office has given us go-ahead, we will complete it by mid-May 2020,” said Hari Narayan Rauniyar, former proprietor of the Pappu Construction.

The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority had filed a corruption case at the Special Court against Rauniyar, his son Sumit Rauniyar and 11 others for building a substandard bridge over the Babai river in Jabdighat. The case is pending at the court.

The Puppu Construction had constructed the bridge along the Gulariya-Rammapur road linking northern Bardiya with the East-West Highway at an estimated cost of Rs 166.8 million. The bridge collapse has disrupted transportation in the area, causing inconvenience to thousands of people.