DHANGADHI: A 40-kilometre section of Sahajpur-Bogatan road has come to halt as the construction company has not received clearance to fell the trees along the road yet.

The construction of 108-km road that links Kailali’s Sahajpur to Doti’s Bogtan began 33 years ago.

The blacktopping of the 50-km section of Sahajpur-Bogatan road was put to the contract on December 20, 2018. However, the blacktopping work has come to halt since the order to fell 3,300 trees located along the 40-km section of the road has not been issued yet, according to Sahajpur-Bogatan Road Planning Office.

Chief at planning office, Ujjwal Shrestha said the work has come to halt awaiting the order to clear off the trees. The office has prepared to tarmac five kilometres of the 10-kilometre road section without any obstruction, Shrestha said.

The deadline for tarmacking the road has already been extended once for six months after the work could not be completed within the stipulated time of 30 months. The order to fell trees had not been issued even when there were only 12 months left for completing the work.

Contract Manager at the construction company, Ishwar Basnet said although forest is situated in 27-km of the road, it has affected the construction of the 40-km road.

Moreover, the construction company has warned to discontinue the work if they did not get the order to fell the trees within a month.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had laid the foundation stone for the road project for the second time on February 19, 2019.

It has been reported that only 31 per cent of the construction work was completed in 23 months.