BHAIRAHAWA, June 7: Even though the provincial government has announced 2019 as Lumbini Visit Year, the painstakingly slow progress of widening and repairing the 41.1 kilometers long Bahirahawa–Taulihawa road section is likely to have adverse effect on tourism. Locals and stakeholders lament that the road which should have been completed by now is still in a pathetic condition. The road section is the main gateway to Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha which is used by hundreds of internal and international tourists.
According to the project chief Pradip Raj Shakya, major culverts have been constructed. A few other important work are yet to be done.
“We are working tirelessly. Major culverts have been constructed. There are 112 such culverts. We are yet to complete some other important construction works,” he said. He added that the raw materials could not be supplied on time, which delayed the project.
The locals and tourists have expressed sadness over the pathetic condition of the road. Excessive dust has made it inconvenient for travelers to walk along the road. As soon as monsoon begins, the road turns into a muddy field making it even more challenging people to travel.
“We are tired of this. Once the road construction process or repairing starts, it has to be completed very quickly. But the concerned authorities hardly care about people’s grievances, they work for petty interest and corruption is rampant,” alleged a local businessman requesting anonymity. The poor condition of road has made it prone to accidents, he added.
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School children have also been badly affected by this. The road section is used by hundreds of school children. Due to excessive dust, they have developed several kinds of allergies. Even though the schools and parents have been demanding quick construction of the road, the development is taking place at snail’s pace.
“Locals as well as tourists are affected. Similarly, school children are falling ill due to this road,” said the businessman. He added that the impact has also been noticed in people’s trade and businesses.
The road is in worse condition from Lumbini to Taulihawa. Vehicles plying the road spread dust around. Whoever passes through the route gets covered in dust. “Once you get through the road, you won’t recognize yourself because of the dust. That’s the condition of the road,” the businessman said.
In 2017, when the repairing was in initial stage, the work had gained momentum. After some time, it started to slow down. According to the locals, the work is not being done with the same spirit as before. Of the 41.1 kilometers, not even half the road has been repaired.
The road section will have six lanes, four lanes and two lanes in different blocks. According to Shakya, blacktopping of some of the sections has kicked off. “We have started blacktopping some of the road sections, but at other places, we are yet to lay the base,” he said.
The project worth Rs 1.9 billion has investment of the government and loan from ADB.
Shakya stated that there will be a greenbelt and footpath on the way. Similarly, 36 waiting stations for passengers are under construction.
“The road would be wide enough with all modern features. The waiting stations for passengers at 36 points are under construction,” he said.
Though he admitted that the work progress is not satisfactory, he said they can cover for the loss.
“We are facing some problems due to the lack of materials, basically, those that are collected from rivers. If we are provided with those materials, we can cover up for the delay,” Shakya said.
The local government is responsible for providing materials for such projects. Though the project has been approaching the District Coordination Committee and other government bodies for due support, it has not been provided, he lamented. Tussle between the local bodies over internal resources has drawn headlines now and then.
Meanwhile, Traffic Police Chief of Bhairahawa, Bed Poudel, informed Republica that 45 people got injured and nine died due to accidents in the road section in the last one year.
“Dust is dense here. People have fallen sick. Nine died, many got injured,” he said.
