BHAKTAPUR, Nov 13: The contractor who was awarded to repair Bhaktapur-Nagarkot road has come under fire for the inordinate delay in expanding the road.

As part of their protest, the infuriated locals have posted pamphlets and posters depicting the pictures of Sharada Adhikari, the contractor who bagged the road expansion project, at the electric poles alongside the road. Locals have largely blamed the contractor for the inordinate delay in expanding the project.

The locals have made a collage of photos of different animals including dog and monkey and Adhikari at the electric poles alongside the road.

Shailung Construction Company owned by Adhikari had bagged the project a couple of years ago. The company has not been penalized yet due to Adhikari's proximity with Nepal Communist Party Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Dahal is currently living in a rented house at Khumaltar area in Lalitpur which belongs to Adhikari.

Under the initiation of the Nagarkot Naldum Tourism Development Committee, the locals have also posted the photo of the contractor even on the vehicles plying the road in a bid to exert pressure to complete the project at the earliest.

Chairperson of the committee Prabin Gurung said their objective is to exert pressure on the contractor, government and political parties for the completion of road expansion.

Nagarkot, a renowned tourism destination in Bhaktapur has been experiencing a fall in tourist arrival due to the poor road condition. The visitors are now reaching the area via Dhulikhel, an alternative route.

According to the local entrepreneurs, hotels in Nagarkot have a capacity to host 800 tourists a day. However, the number has fallen by half due to the deplorable road condition. Although the road was expected to be completed by FY2016/17, it has become like a far-fetched dream.

 
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