SINDHUPALCHOWK, Feb 24: Police on Sunday arrested five campaigners protesting against the delay in the construction of a road section in Sindhupalchowk district.
A total of five campaigners, who were on their way to padlock the office of the Lamasaghu-Jiri Road Project, were arrested by a team of police from Area Police Office, Barhabishe. As the construction of the road stretch has been delayed since long, the campaigners had planned to padlock the office as a part of the protest.
Police arrest five 'Enough is Enough' campaigners
According to police, those arrested have been brought to the District Police Office, Sindhupalchowk.
According to the contract, the construction company should have completed the construction of the 55-kilomter road stretch two years ago. After the construction was not completed on time, the deadline of the project was extended by three years. As the project was not completed in the extended deadline too, the locals started protesting against the construction company.
Though the campaigners had pasted images of the contractor at public places and submitted a memorandum to the authorities concerned, the construction company was reluctant to complete the project on time. In the last five years, of the total 22-kilometer road stretch, only 16-kilomter has been blacktopped.
The project had signed an agreement with two Indian construction companies – Himanchal Construction Company and Gauri Parbati Construction – for the upgradation of the road stretch. The road stretch is being upgraded with financial support from the Exim Bank of India.
As per the agreement signed on June 3, 2015, the construction company should have completed the project by October 17, 2017. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 514 million.
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