MYANGLUNG (Terhathum), Dec 18: The construction of a concrete bridge over the Lubughat-based Tamor River is yet to be completed even though 12 years have elapsed since its contract signing.
The construction of the bridge linking Terhathum and Panchthar districts has not gained momentum. It is uncertain how long it will take to complete the construction of the bridge. In the absence of the bridge, the residents of Kummayak of Panchthar have to walk seven to eight hours a week carrying materials on their backs to reach Friday haat at Myanglung of Tehrathum. From Myanglung of Tehrathum to Dharan, one has to travel 116 kilometers through Basantapur, Sidhuwa, Hile and Dhankuta.
After the construction of the bridge, Dharan can be reached directly through Tamor corridor within half the time.
'Bridge over Tamor River risky'
The haat is near Kummayak Rural Municipality in Panchthar district. The goods produced in the village are taken to the Friday haat of Myanglung for sale. One has to return home with soap, salt, oil, and clothes on one's back from Myanglung.
Ramesh Thapa, who had come to sell almonds from Bijuwapani of Kummayak Rural Municipality to Myanglung, said, "We thought that we would not have to carry a heavy load on the hill if the bridge was constructed."
A contract was signed with Swachchhanda Contractor Company in June 2011 for the construction of the bridge at a cost of Rs 130 million. The agreement was to complete the construction of the bridge by July 2018. Chief of the Road Division Office, Dhankuta, Ram Kumar Dev, said only 50 percent of the work of the bridge, which is 3 meters wide and 157 meters long, has been completed so far.
Out of the five pillars, only four have been constructed. We are extending the construction deadline till mid-July 2024," he said. The contractor company's representative Ajay Lamichhane said that there was no road leading to the bridge from Myanglung when the construction of the bridge started and it took time to dig the road.
Arjan Dhungana of Myanglung and Dik Bahadur Karki of Laligurans Municipality had lodged a complaint with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). Local residents of Myanglung have been putting pressure on the Myanglung Municipality and the District Administration Office, Tehrathum, by forming a committee to press for the construction of the bridge over Tamor.
