The construction work of the Binayak-Thantikhand road section under the Mid Hill Highway Project, a national pride project, has been delayed.

According to the employees of the road project, works on the 16-kilometre road section have been delayed due to a lack of raw materials and skilled human resources. Rajendra Construction Service, the contractor company, has failed to manage construction materials on time, said an employee of the project preferring anonymity.

According to the contract agreement signed on April 28, 2016, the contractor had to complete the construction work within April 28, 2019.

“The construction works of the Mangalsain-Thatikhand, Belkhet-Kailash Khola and Binayak-Belkhet roads have already been completed,” said Manish Singh, site engineer of the project. “But the construction of the Binayak-Thantikhand road section has been delayed. We hope to begin blacktopping works soon.”

The latest deadline for the project is now only a month away. The contractor company had failed to meet the previous two deadlines. According to the Mid Hill Highway Project, the contractor company will be liable to punishment if he misses this deadline.

“The deadline for the road project has been extended thrice. We cannot extend the deadline again,” said Singh. He, however, says the construction work has gained pace after a meeting of stakeholders held on December 24 decided to expedite work on the project.

The blacktopping of two kilometres of the road section remains to be completed. According to workers, adverse weather conditions have also affected the construction work.

Local residents say the delay in the construction of the road section is mainly because of the negligence of the contractor company and the irregularity of the workers.

“We see workers at the site only once or twice a month,” said Koshraj Timilsaina, a local resident of Thatikhand. “We have been asking the local authorities to address the issue since the construction work of the road section has been going on for five years but the road is still incomplete.”