Kathmandu, October 27

The Narayangadh-Munglin Road Development Project has proposed to stop vehicular movement on the busiest road section of the country during the daytime to move forward on much-delayed construction process. The project has proposed the District Administration Office (DAO) Chitwan to stop vehicular movement from November 1.

The project has proposed the DAO Chitwan to stop vehicular movement on the road section during daytime to accelerate the construction work.

“Due to heavy traffic movement on the road during daytime, we have been unable to carry out construction works effectively. So, we have proposed to halt movement of vehicles during the day time,” said Chandra Narayan Yadav, chief of the project.

The project has targeted to complete the construction process of the 33.25-kilometre road section by February 2018 — a target that it is most certainly going to miss. “Realising we won’t be able to complete the works by the given date, we are now aiming to finish at least 80 per cent of the work by then. However, even for that, we would need to stop vehicular movement during day time and expedite the construction works,” Yadav stated.

The project has completed 57 per cent of the total works till date.

The project sent a letter to the DAO Chitwan a few days ago seeking support to halt vehicular movement in the road section during daytime.

According to Yadav, vehicular movement has been disrupting works like black-topping, rock-cutting, ground-cutting and construction of pavement wall on the road section.

The project is hoping to get the approval to stop vehicles until completion of first layer of black top across the road section, of which only nine kilometres have been completed so far. There will be three layers of black top — first and second layers would contain six-centimetre thick and third layer would contain four-centimetre thick pitch on the road. “After the first phase of black topping is finished, vehicles would be allowed to ply normally.”

Narayan Prasad Bhatta, chief district officer of Chitwan, said that the DAO will decide on the proposal sent by the project after holding discussions with the concerned authorities.

“The festive season has just ended, and I think we have to analyse the vehicular movement for the forthcoming elections. After holding discussions with concerned people, we will take a proper decision,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bhatta said that they will take a decision regarding the vehicular movement as soon as possible as the progress of the project has been too slow.

Earlier, the project had banned vehicular movement during night time between July 7 and August 16 because of the rainy season and fear of landslides.