SINDHULI, May 1: Lumbini Construction has taken the sole responsibility to construct a bridge left incomplete for eight years. The concrete bridge across the Kamala River, which will connect Sindhuli's Dudhauli Municipality-3, Jhuga and Dudhauli Municipality-2, Hatpate, was originally assigned to the infamous Pappu Construction and Lumbini Construction as a joint venture.
Initially supposed to be complete by 2016, the construction of the bridge was initiated with financial support of Rs 320 million from the World Bank. The project that began with great enthusiasm had remained stalled until Dudhauli Municipality's mayor Ghana Shyam Raut pressurized the concerned parties to resume the construction work. Mayor Raut even reached the Ministry of Home Affairs with a proposal to penalize the contractors. The 546-meter long bridge had all its pillars constructed four years ago. However, the locals complain that the project has made zero progress since then.
Lumbini Construction broke the joint venture to avoid being blacklisted after the government decided to blacklist Pappu.
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“Lumbini Construction has promised to complete the bridge within a year,” said Mayor Raut.
Shankar Raut of Lumbini Construction defended the delay in restarting the halted project.
“Since Pappu Construction had initiated the work, there was no way we could do our part,” he said. All other joint ventures of Pappu and Lumbini Construction also are left incomplete and unattended.
As informed by Dudhauli Municipality's spokesperson, Ritesh Raut, around 35 people have lost their lives in their attempts to cross the river in eight years since the project started.
