TIKAPUR, June 18: Navraj Joshi, the Head of the Planning Branch at Tikapur Municipality, has been relieved of his duties after the revelation that he violated the decision made by an executive meeting. It is reported that he attempted to repair a road different from the one specified in the official notice issued on March 21. As a result, he has faced legal action by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority in Mahendranagar.
The road in question, spanning from Sonahaphanta School in Ward no 7 to Dolphin area, was originally constructed in June 2021 by Ashish Construction and Concern, costing Rs 2.24 million. However, the road faced severe quality issues and collapsed within four months of completion, prompting a complaint and subsequent investigation by the anti-graft body.
Telephone service in Biratnagar disconnected
After verifying the poor quality of the road, the construction company rebuilt it in June 2022. However, the road collapsed once again after the company withdrew its bond in October 2022. This led to concerns among the municipality officials and the locals, who exerted pressure on Joshi and other officials for negligence in road construction. The deteriorating condition of other roads built by the municipality further intensified the situation.
In an attempt to avoid further disputes and alleviate the mounting criticism, Joshi began repairing roads that were not included in the official repair list. His actions were found by a team led by Deputy Head Khadak Bahadur Shah during monitoring. Upon inquiry with the construction company, it was revealed that the unauthorized repair work had been initiated under Joshi's instructions.
To evade the CIAA’s complaint, Joshi took it upon himself to repair the road without informing the municipality. Following this incident, Joshi has been relieved of his responsibilities, and Engineer Nabin Ojha has been assigned the task. Joshi is now funding the road repairs personally after being cleared of responsibility by the municipality.
