MANANG, Aug 19: A motorable bridge over the Marsyangdi River in Manang remains incomplete even 10 years after its construction contract was signed, forcing locals to risk their lives while crossing the river.
The bridge connects Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality-3 and Ngawal-4 of the district.
According to the Infrastructure Development Office, Manang, the construction company has already received around 70 percent of the contract amount, but construction work has progressed at a slow pace.
Office Chief Hari Thapa said the contractor had failed to make expected progress despite receiving the required payments. The office has extended the contract deadline several times, but the bridge is still unfinished.
Marsyangdi River crosses danger level
The contract was signed to complete the bridge by the end of Ashad 2073 BS at a cost of around Rs 40 million.
Krishna Bahadur Lama, chairperson of Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality-3, said both the contractor and the concerned government office had failed to show sufficient interest in completing the project.
Locals said the lack of a bridge has made it difficult to reach the rural municipality office. “It would take only four to five minutes to reach the office if the bridge were completed. At present, it takes much longer,” said local resident Mukhiya Lama.
Residents have demanded that the contract be terminated if the existing contractor fails to resume construction and that the project be handed over to a new company. They said the delay has also affected other development activities in the area.
During a recent monitoring of development projects in the district, Manang’s lawmaker and former minister Tek Bahadur Gurung instructed the contractor to immediately resume construction. He also directed the concerned infrastructure office to make further payments only after assessing the progress of the bridge.
Kanchha Ghale, chairperson of Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality, said repeated requests to the contractor to complete the project had gone unheeded. He said the contractor had been given multiple extensions despite failing to carry out the work.
Former lawmaker Palden Chhompang Gurung said the delay in building essential infrastructure had created difficulties for both locals and tourists visiting Manang. Timely completion of bridges and other infrastructure, he said, would have made travel considerably easier.
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