By Sanjay Kumar Mishra
Gaur, Sept. 11: The construction work of a concrete bridge over the Bagmati River at Samanpur, in Gadhimai Municipality, Rautahat district, is now in the final stage, nine years after the works began.
The bridge over the river connecting Rautahat and Sarlahi districts has been under construction for the last nine years.

A company, Elite Construction Kathmandu, had agreed to complete the construction of the 600-metre-long double-lane bridge at a cost of Rs. 32.76 million by mid-July 2015. But even six years after the given deadline expired, the bridge has not completed yet.

The locals have complained to the construction company and other concerned agencies stating that the construction has been progressing at a snail’s pace.
The construction, which was supposed to complete in three years from the start date, has so far completed 85 per cent of the total work.

The then Minister for Physical Planning, Bimalendra Nidhi, had laid the foundation stone of the concrete bridge in July 2012 to connect Samanpur of Rautahat and Barathwa of Sarlahi.
Dipu Shah, one local, said that the people of the two districts had been suffering needlessly because of the delayed construction.

A 500-meter protection wall and an approach road to the east and west of the bridge have not been constructed yet.
Chief Administrative Officer for Gadhimai Municipality Nagendra Yadav said that the municipality had invested Rs. 300,000 in gravel roads after last month's floods cut off both sides of the bridge.