ITAHARI, June 3: The road from Tarhara in Itahari to Dharan is currently being expanded as a direct ‘link’ road with China and India under the Trade Route Improvement Project. However, the work is taking place at a plodding pace which has caused suffering among the people.

Since the road expansion between Tarhara to Dharan’s Tinkune under the Biratnagar-Dharan road section has been taking sluggishly, the travelers are having to face difficulty as a consequence of this. 

“Parts of the vehicle are damaged due to potholes in the road,” said Sujan Shrestha, the driver of a pickup truck that was returning to Dhankuta with vegetables from Itahari. 

To widen the 9.5 km road section in Itahari, the old structure of the road is being demolished. But the potholes that have emerged during the demolition have increased the risk of accidents. “I wish I did not have to walk on the Dharan-Tarahara road due to the potholes, mud and dust. But, we have to, ” said Badal Dahal of Itahari.

Small vehicles like motorcycles, auto-rickshaws and cars are more prone to accidents caused due to potholes. According to the Traffic Police Office Itahari, in the past three months, two passenger-carrying buses, one truck and one jeep overturned after falling into the potholes near the road between Tarahara to Dharan’s Tinkune.

In addition to this,  the road condition has also delayed ambulances carrying patients to and from BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan. “The government should take action against those contractors who are negligent in their work,” said student leader Sudhan Mahat. “The road planning and construction companies of the six-lane road project must take responsibility for the human casualties in the accidents that have occurred.” 

Currently, two construction contracts for the Rani Dharan 6-lane road project in Biratnagar are in operation. The road is being widened on both sides. But the construction materials piled up while constructing the road have made the road messy. 

Recently, the deadline for road construction was extended to FY 2023/24. The planners of the 6-lane road project claim that the road construction will be completed within the extended deadline. They claim that the work has slowed down due to the rising prices of fuel and construction materials. Upendra Das, an engineer and spokesperson for the company planning the 6-lane road project, says that the construction work cannot continue at the same construction fee agreed during the signing of the contract. He added that the construction work was halted due to the construction companies’ ‘Holiday’ movement.

Of the 49 kilometers of road on the Koshi Highway, the road from Tarahara to Dharan is yet to be extended. Similarly, the roads in Duhabi Bazaar and Itahari’s Biratnagar line are also yet to be expanded. 

In 1997, the government decided to maintain 630 meters of area in Duhabi as a built-up area. According to the information published in the government gazette on 17 March 1998, the border of the road in the Duhabi Bazaar area was kept 27 feet left and right from the center of the road. To expand the road, the current government would have to change the decision of the then government.

The target was to widen the 6-lane road within seven years starting from 2012/13. The construction of the entire road was initially estimated to cost Rs 10.98 billion.

 
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