By Our Correspondent
Birgunj, Sept. 22: Recently constructed postal highway has caved in at several locations within six months after the contractor handed it over to the government in Birgunj.
Baniya-Kalika JV Construction Company had signed for the construction of a 30 kilometre long postal highway from Chamari to Thori in Subarnapur-Birgunj. It was handed over to the government in April this year stating that the construction was completed. However, still 5-kilometre of the road is yet to be constructed in various places.

Engineer Sanjaya Thakur, who is also a spokesperson at Postal Highway Directorate in the district, said that the new 30 kilometre road from Chamari to Thori had already developed cracks or caved in in six places, 80 metres in total.

“Road construction completed in April but unfortunately cracks are noticed in the highway in September,” he said. He further said that wire gauzes around riversides were also swept away.  
According to him, the Office of Postal Highway Directorate had asked for maintenance of the road to the contractor and they were ready for the service. However road maintenance could not take place because the rain had not stopped yet.

Engineer Thakur said that there were damages too in the newly constructed road. “Somewhere there are sinks and damages in the road and rain swept 15 meter road near Bijayabasti as the embankment in Orea River broke,” he said.

According to the contract, the construction company has to maintain all the damages in this highway for two years after construction. It is the reason the Office of Postal Highway Directorate asked them for the service and the construction company said that it would work from the end of this month.
“Payment for 80 metre long damaged highway and swept wire gauges has not been made yet,” Thakur said.

Bidur Sapkota, a local resident of Thori blamed that fraud contractor and irresponsible regulators as the reason behind the damaged road. How a newly constructed highway could go down within three months from the time the construction completed, he said. “Contractor used low quality construction materials and the regulator kept silent,” he elaborated.

The contract for 1.17 billion rupees road project was signed between Baniya-Kalika and Postal Highway Directorate in 2017. According to the contract, it was agreed to complete the construction in 2020, however project competition deadline was extended by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in the country. Only 92 per cent work has been completed till date.