By Our Correspondent, Dolakha, May 11: Jhorle Bridge in Dolakha district that connects Bigu and Gaurishanker Rural Municipalities is about to complete, 11 years after the project first started.

The contractor company had halted the project after constructing an abutment on both sides of the river 10 years ago.

Gyalbo Tamang, the representative of the contractor company, said that the construction of the bridge is in the final stage, and at the moment we are constructing a 66-meter-long footpath and that from next month it would start providing service to the people.

“Initially Nepal Consult Pvt. Ltd. was handed over the responsibility for the construction of the bridge over Tamakoshi River, but later some disputes that surfaced left the bridge construction in a state of limbo,” Tamang added.

Rauta Mahadev was the joint venture partner of the contractor company when the contract was signed in 2010. The bridge was to be completed two years later at an estimated cost of Rs. Rs.3, 58, 71,616 at the time.

“Both parties could not agree on the design and the project came to a grinding halt,” Tamang clarified the reason behind the halt. Bijaya Kumar Mahato, chief of the Road Division Office in Charikot, agreed to a 15 per cent variant payment for the project, after which the construction gained steam.

The Khanikhola - I hydropower project in Marbu in the district was compelled to construct a Bailey bridge over the river on its own. Gaurishanker Rural Municipality and six hydropower projects in Khanikhola, Malekhu, and Tamakoshi River will mainly benefit from the project upon completion