KATHMANDU: The delay in the expansion of the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel section of the Araniko Highway – the eastern gateway to the federal capital – has caused inconvenience to travelers and local people alike.
The road section is the easiest and shortest route for people from Kavrepalanchok, Sindhupalchok, Dolakha, Ramechhap and Sindhuli of Bagmati Province, as well as Koshi and Madhesh provinces to travel to Kathmandu. Although work has begun to upgrade the road to four lanes, there is no certainty when it will be completed.
The road has been dug in various places, and construction materials scattered haphazardly are causing problems for pedestrians and vehicles. Houses, hotels and shops along the road section are covered in dust. The area becomes muddy when it rains making things difficult further.
Bishnu Sapkota, the owner of Daura-Chulo Restaurant in Palanse, said it is impossible to stand near the road without a mask even for a moment. According to him, the restaurant business has seen a decline after road expansion works began. “Earlier, we were seeing a monthly turnover of around Rs 4 million. Now, it has dropped to Rs 1-1.2 million rupees. If there are such delays in road construction, restaurateurs along the road section will have to shut their business down,” Sapkota said.
Mausam Thapa Magar, a taxi driver, said that the delay in road construction is starting to affect their earnings. “Our earnings have started to decrease because of the sorry state of the road. We can’t reach anywhere on time. If a large vehicle stops, we have to sit in traffic for hours,” he added.
Drivers like Mausam are forced to sit in long traffic jams when the road is closed for some time. Vehicles carrying goods are seen moving slowly on the road. Even emergency vehicles like fire engines, ambulances and police vehicles often get stuck in traffic.
Mausam said the government has not paid attention to the impact on businesses, transportation, and other services while implementing the road expansion project.
Lack of Budget
The government started expansion works as the road section was becoming unable to handle the surge in traffic. Project officials say work has slowed due to budget constraints. According to Rajendra Prasad Das, chief of the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel-Sindhuli-Bardibas Road Project, the government has not released the budget to the project office as per the agreement. He claimed that the road construction would be completed as per the schedule if the government released the budget.
“The drainage and culvert construction is in the final stage. Likewise, work is underway to build retaining walls on both sides of the road,” Das said. “But progress isn’t as expected because we need to manage vehicle movement while working.”
The project started in January 2023 with a three-year construction deadline. The contract for the Suryabinayak-Sanga stretch of 7.5 km was awarded to Ashish Kumar Bandhan/Bhagwati JV for Rs 3.89 billion, while Lama Construction won the contract for the Sanga-Dhulikhel section of 8.4 km for Rs 4.06 billion.
Likewise, Himdung & Thokar Company has been entrusted with the task of building bridges on the road section.
According to Das, about 30% of the road expansion work has been completed. Financial progress, however, stands at 40%, he added.
Contractors also blame the government for the slow progress. They claim that although work is progressing from their side smoothly, delays in the budget release from the government have slowed down their work. Ramji Pant of Ashish Kumar Bandhan/Bhagwati JV said the government should be asked why the construction work is progressing slowly. “A total of 76 houses on the project’s right of way on the Suryabinayak-Sanga stretch are yet to be demolished. Likewise, there are eight temples on the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel road section. If these temples are moved, there will be protests by the locals,” he added Pant said problems have arisen due to disagreements between government ministries on the release of funds as per the schedule.
According to Pant, the design for an underpass in Sanga has not been prepared yet. As a result, work in this area has been halted for six. “The government hasn’t even provided compensation for the 17 ropanis of land needed for road expansion,” he added.
Project Chief Das said more than 40% of the budget allocated for the project has been withheld.
Das said a proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport to complete the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel road expansion by December 2025. “The ministry has assured to release the budget accordingly. If there’s no budget problem, the road expansion work will be completed between June and December next year,” Das added.
Umesh Bindu Shrestha, the spokesperson for the Department of Roads, said the necessary budget for the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel road expansion project will be released soon. “The ministry has written to the finance ministry for the budget,” Shrestha said. “Work is underway to complete the expansion of the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel road section within a year.”
