Mahotari, November 26:

The District Administration Office (DAO), Mahotari, has launched an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Ram-Janaki road construction work. According to the DAO, an engineer of the Mujeliya-based Road Division Office, Dhruba Prasad Dhungel, has been instructed to go ahead with the probe. It is learnt that the concerned road construction consumer’s committee and technicians of the District Technical Office allegedly misappropriated funds. Local people of Dhirapur and Danaulibainauli had filed a petition at the DAO and the DDC, Mahotari, accusing the consumer’s committee and the technicians of being involved in irregularities.

The complaint stated that the road was being built at a cost of Rs 3 million but did not meet the set standards.

The locals have also asked the local authorities to immediately take action against those involved in the ‘scam’. Meanwhile, a team of journalists and technicians headed by assistant CDO of Mahotari, Shankar Prasad Aryal, inspected the road construction site. They came to a conclusion that the construction was not being carried out keeping in mind the set standards. Materials used in the construction were of sub-standard quality, they concluded. The construction of the road that joins Matihani VDC to Janakpurdham started in 2010 BS. If properly maintained, the road will benefit over 50,000 locals of at least 10 VDCs of the area.