LAMJUNG: The Belghari-Archalbot road section has been tarmacked in Dordi Rural Municipality of Lamjung district. The tarmacking of the road started from February 22.

National Reconstruction Authority's, Lamjung District Level Project Implementation Unit (Grant Management and Local Infrastructure) informed that the two-kilometre (km) road from Belghari, Pyardikhola in Dordi ward no. 2 to archalbot in ward no. 5 that links a rural road to Pachokbesi was tarmacked.

Currently, the tarmacking is ongoing on 2.5-km road from Pyardikhola's zero point to Handekhola and additional 200m in Nauthar Shera Bazaar, under the plan to cover the total of 12km 590m road surface with tarmac.

According to road project engineer Amarnath Barma, rest of the section of Belghari-Archalbot-Lamabagar-Shera Bazaar-Jitaure-Pachok road would be gravelled while 400m road at Belghari and 100m at Nauthar Shera would be concreted.

Indian company 'Neeraj Cement Structurals Ltd' which has contract for the road construction, has claimed that 80 per cent of the work has been completed and also informed that the tarmacking would be completed on deadline by April 1.

The construction company has gravelled 8.5km road, completed 90 per cent of ongoing wall construction and 90 per cent of the hume pipe laying works.

The construction company had made contract on February 17, 2017, and signed agreement to complete by August 30, 2018. But when the work was not completed, the deadline was extended 90 days further to November 27, 2018, for the first time. Again, for the second time, the deadline was extended 125 days and set to April 1, 2019.

According to NRA's District Level Project Implementation Unit chair Ushesh Shrestha, the district has gained 80 per cent physical progress and 71 per cent economic progress. He said, out of total 350 landowners, 240 have already been compensated with Rs 46,796,397 in exchange of land acquisition. The DLPIU has further asked the NRA to make the allocation of Rs 20 million to compensate remaining landowners.

The NRA with Asian Development Bank's grant in loans constructed the road in the quake-affected rural municipality.