Gaighat, December 19

Construction of a bridge over the Triyuga River of Sibai in Udaypur, slated to be completed three years ago, has been left in limbo.

Though the construction work started five years ago, frequent changes in design and budget crunch have delayed the project.

The Gaighat–Diktel road section project stated that the construction was delayed after logs were recovered from the river while installing pillars of the bridge.

Mahalaxmi Lokpriya Construction JV, the concerned contractor company, attributed the continued delay in construction work to multiple changes in the design. “We could not complete the work within the slated time as we had to change the bridge’s design due to technical reasons,” said contractor Denival Shakya.

Of the total 13 pillars of the bridge, four are yet to be installed. The installation of pillars was obstructed due to the logs that were recovered from the river while they were trying to erect the pillars, said engineer of the project Kamal Yadav.

Meanwhile, stakeholders of the project argued that they could not complete the construction due to technical reasons along with inadequate budget from the government. “The government allocated a mere Rs 1.5 million for the project this fiscal,” said contractor Shakya.

The Department of Road has served a year’s ultimatum for completion of the project. However, Shakya said the given time was not enough. “It will take at least two years to complete the project,” he said.

The bridge, after its completion, will connect the eastern trade hub of Udaypur Beltar to the southern region of Saptari and Khotang.