Kathmandu, May 15

The contractor hired to expand the Chabahil-Jorpati road segment has finally started black topping 300 metres of the road from Tusalchowk to Bouddha Stupachowk. Despite repeated requests from the locals the contractor had failed to complete the project for almost four years.

Locals of the area at the initiative of Bouddha Trade Association, a few days ago, had staged a protest blocking the busy Chabahil-Jorpati road.

Following the protest, Shakunta Lal Hirachan, the proprietor of the contracting company United Builders and Engineers Pvt Ltd was pressured to immediately start black topping the road segment.

The contractor was supposed to begin the blacktopping on Sunday.

The agreement reached with locals required completion of all tasks to be underaken before blacktopping the road.

The tasks included completing groundwork to blacktop the Bouddha Gate - Jorpati segment, sprinkling water on the road to settle dust regularly and repairing drainage and water lines. However, none of the tasks were visible along the road section when THT reached the site.

Deepak Chaulagain, chairperson of the Bouddha Trade Association, said the contractor was in constant touch with them, and had promised to complete the task on time.

“We hope that we don’t have to  stage another protest against non-completion  of the pending work,” Chaulagain said.

The contractor was required to complete the 3.6-kilometre road segment from Chabahil to Bagmati Bridge at Jorpati within two-and a-half years in 2015.