Damak, Aug. 21: The construction of the Damak–Chisapani Road (Falgunanda Marg), which has been under construction for three decades, has become uncertain again after the termination of contracts for the two sections of the road.
This road, which has been a major agenda in every election in Jhapa, Ilam and Panchthar districts has faced repeated delays, prompting locals to raise their voices against the delay in its construction.
Despite sufficient budget allocations for the construction of the road connecting Damak in Jhapa with the hilly districts of Ilam and Panchthar, the project has been stalled due to negligence on the part of the contractors.
Mangsebung Rural Municipality Chairman Hemant Rai said that the unfinished road caused inconveniences to people in every monsoon season. He said that the rural municipality had occasionally allocated funds to remove landslides and mud from the road. He said during discussions, contractors often promised to complete the work, but nothing was accomplished. He said, “We have heard that the contracts have been terminated and we do not know when the construction work will resume.”
According to the Road Division Office in Damak, contracts were awarded to widen the track and blacktop the road in three sections six years ago. However, progress has been only around 50 per cent so far. Out of the 33 kilometres from Damak to Chisapani, only about two kilometres of the road has been tarred.
Gautam Kumar Dev, engineer and information officer of the Road Division Office in Damak, said that 60 per cent of the work had been completed on the first section, which covers seven kilometres from Damak’s Zero Point. In this section, around two kilometres had been blacktopped.
Despite extending the deadline more than five times, the work remains incomplete. Dev said, “The road is ready for paving but continuous rain and various other reasons have delayed the work.”Mahalaxmi–Kiratishwar JV was awarded a contract for the first section at Rs. 225 million on July 29, 2018, to complete the construction within 30 months. This contract has not been terminated.
Meanwhile, the contracts for the second section of 15 kilometres and the third section of 11 kilometres awarded to Lumbini-Ganapati JV have been scrapped. The contracts for these two sections were awarded in March 2020.
There has been 60 per cent progress on the second section and 22 per cent on the third section but blacktopping work has not yet started on either. According to the Road Division Office, a new process must be initiated for the construction of the road after ensuring the necessary resources and preparations are underway accordingly.
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