By Our Correspondent
Gaighat, Jan. 8: Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development of Province 1 Himal Karki has called physical infrastructure the backbone of development.
Inaugurating the motorable bridge constructed on the Yari River at Kumaltar, Tapli Rural Municipality-5, Udayapur on Wednesday, Minister Karki also requested the Secretary of the Ministry Mohan Raj Chapagain and other officials who were present at the event to consider the harsh topography of Udayapur while allocating budget for projects.

The people of Kumaltar have long complained of neglect by the state. Addressing these complaints, Karki said, “As the provincial government is committed to constructing the Koshi Corridor which is vital to the prosperity of Udayapur, the Ministry will find out the status of the project and take the necessary steps to move forward.”

The Minister said that he too was a native of the region and understood the local problems. He also expressed his readiness to work with the local representatives and the federal government to take the corridor project forward. He further stated that the government needed to develop all the areas of the province equally and not only focus on a single district.

Uddhav Singh Dhami, chairman of Tapli Rural Municipality, informed that 16 contracts had been awarded for various aspects of the Corridor. Of them, work on 12 contracts had not moved forward due to the delays by the contractors. Some have also gone to the courts demanding price adjustments, he said.

The bridge has been constructed by the provincial government at a cost of Rs. 87.4 million. Work on the bridge began on March 19, 2020 and was completed ahead of time by the company ANS KM JV.