Kankai Bridge: Contract extended for five times, progress ‘half’ in 13 years

JHAPA: Construction of the Kankai Bridge connecting Jhapa Rural Municipality-2 and Gaurigunj Rural Municipality-1 in the eastern section of the Postal Highway has been in limbo for the past 13 years.

Local residents are bearing the brunt of stagnation in the construction of the bridge that was contracted out in 2011.

Had the bridge construction been completed, it would have been easier to transport between Biratnagar – the capital of Koshi province and Jhapa district.

The snail-pace progress has also affected the trade, business and tourism promotion in the region.

According to the Postal Highway Directorate, Planning Office, Itahari, the contract was awarded to the company on June 13, 2011 to complete the construction within four years. Although the deadline for the work was set for 12 June 2015, only 58 percent physical progress has been made so far.

Engineer Prabhat Kiran Rai, also the information officer at the office, shared that the construction has not been stepped up despite extension of the contract five times. The deadline extended for the fifth time had also expired in July 2023.

An expert team of Pulchowk Engineering Campus had submitted a report with suggestions after studying technical flaws in the bridge construction at the request of the office.

Rai further said that the contractor company has not started the work despite repeated instructions to solve the problems seen in the report and proceed with the work.

According to him, preparations are underway to terminate the contract and initiate a new process on condition of their reluctance.

Koshi Province Assembly member Lakhi Kumari Ganesh representing the same area said that no action has been taken from the concerned agencies, including the Chief Minister and the builders, on the local problems despite approaching them several times.

“It is understood that the construction has been halted now with the task not done as per the cost estimate,” he said, adding, “It will take a long time to terminate the current contract process and proceed with the new contract process.”

Tanka Prasad Shrestha, a local of Gauriganj-1, lamented that the construction which was supposed to be completed in four years has not been accomplished yet.

Shrestha said that the contractor company has already taken out its equipment and materials from the bridge construction site so now there is no hope for the construction of Kankai bridge.

Himal Kumar Chamlagai, ward chair of Jhapa rural municipality-2, said he was not aware of the reason behind the stagnation of the bridge for the past one year. “Despite repeated requests to the concerned authorities to complete the construction, no response has been made yet,” he added.