BIRGUNJ, PARSA: Construction of the 27-kilometre Pathlaiya integrated check post is likely to get delayed due to various factors including the negligence of the contractor.

Lack of budget and construction materials is another cause behind the delay. The project for the construction of a key trade route is struggling to progress as the land occupiers in Jitpur Bazaar area on either side of the road have neglected the direction by the authority to vacate the land, said the project engineer and information officer Saumya Aananda. The deadline to vacate the land expired on May 29.

Around 220 houses and huts, small and big, have to be demolished to widen the road by 25 metres on each side, said the project chief Rabindra Lal Das.

The project started on July 13, 2016, with the target of completing it by mid-January 2019. The project funded by the government has been estimated at Rs 5.5 billion. Three bridges will be constructed along the road, said engineer Aananda.