Rain, landslides affect road upgradation in Dolakha

Dolakha, September 6

Incessant rainfall and subsequent landslides have affected the ongoing upgradation of the 35-km Dolakha-Singati road section.

According to project site in-charge Hari Prasad Niraula, around 15 per cent work of the project has been completed so far. “The construction work  has been affected due to persistent rains and recurrent landslides at more than a dozen places since April,” he said.

Blacktopping and widening of the road from Singati Bazaar to Pakhalati Bazaar in Bhimeshwor Municipality-2 had started in October last year with the project deadline of 2018.

“There were major landslides along the Charthali Basti road section of Bhimeshwor, the Kalinag Mandir road section of Sunkhani and the Thumkasoti Bazaar section of Sundrawati and at Jhamarsi of Lamidanda. The landslides have damaged the road delaying the progress of the project” Niraula said, adding there were other minor landslides in dozens of other places which also affected the pace of road construction.

The project has put the estimated loss due to landslides at Rs 10 million. Niraula said the construction work would pick up momentum once it stopped raining. “We will complete the project by the deadline,” he said.

As part of the project, the road is being blacktopped and made 5.5 metre wide. Upon completion of the project, the road will join the district headquarters Charikot to Singati, which is central to some 22 erstwhile VDCs in the north of the district. Of the total estimated cost of Rs 720 million rupees, 85 million rupees has been spent so far.

After the track was opened by then District Development Committee around 16 years ago, the under-construction Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project had graveled the road. The project had handed the road over to the government last year. Now the road is being upgraded with grant from Asian Development Bank.

The Chinese CR Five company and a Nepali company are undertaking the road project.