Biratnagar, April 30

The construction of a trade road meant to connect India and China through the country’s eastern region has been adversely affected due to budget crunch.

Upgradation of the Biratnagar–Itahari road section that stretches to Sankhubhasabha’s Kimathangka (China border) has suffered budget constraints.

Contracts were signed to upgrade the 33km-long road from Biratanagar’s Rani to Itahari and widen it to six lanes in 11 different packages. The project has been running at snail’s pace for the past three months as the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport failed to release the budget to continue the upgradation.

The under-construction road, left in limbo, has added to the plight of passengers and vehicle operators alike. “The ministry has yet to clear more than Rs 500 million for the contractor,” said project engineer Sumod Pokhrel.

The project that started in the fiscal 2012/13 was supposed to finish by fiscal 2018/19. However, the project is most unlikely to meet the deadline. “Though Rs 1.25 billion budget is required for completion of the project, the government has released only Rs 400 million so far and the amount was spent before October last year,” said Pokhrel.