BIRATNAGAR: It may be surprising for many to know that construction of a ring road that began 18 years ago in the industrial city of Biratnagar is yet to be completed.

The matter is of real concern for the residents here as such large-scale development projects remain in a limbo even though all the political parties' are unanimous about making Biratnagar the capital of Province number one.

It is more than surprising that the then Minister for Physical Planning and Works Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar who laid the foundation of the 42-kilometre ring road 18 years ago has been elected to become deputy prime minister and minister in several governments for dozens of times, and formed and joined many political parties since then. But even the track of the ring road has not been completed yet.

As less than a week is left for the December 7 election to the House of Representatives and State Assemblies, candidates of various political parties are busy visiting people at their door steps, holding rallies and mass meetings with more assurances of development, voters are sceptical about them. "Main roads are full of dust and smoke while the inner lanes are yet to be expanded despite being a major city, inundation is a regular scene every monsoon and there is no proper place for amusement," says hotel entrepreneur Sundar Bhandari.

Meena Chettri, also living in the market area of Biratnagar, says she is looking forward to voting this Thursday but is concerned that leaders are least bothered about ensuring basis amenities like roads and drainage in the city area. "How long do we have to endure water logging and inundation every year"?

The voters here however agreed that Morang district which has produced around half a dozen prime ministers is taking strides in the field of education and health.

Local journalist Bikram Niroula is of the view that the pace of development and prosperity in Biratnagar would have accelerated had the ring road been completed on time. "The water from Melamchi is about to arrive in Kathmandu but there is no sight of the ring road here," says another journalist Uddhav Ghimire.

They are also of the view that it is a clash of interest of the political leaders that the pace of development is not as much as promised in the political speeches and the election manifestoes. As Morang district is home to very senior and renowned politicians, including many prime ministers and ministers.

This time too senior leaders like Nepali Congress' Dr Shekhar Koirala, former Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya and former Minister Dr Minendra Rijal, UML's former Minister Lal Babu Pandit, Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal among others are in the election race.

Divided into six constituencies, there are 644,000 voters in the district, which is one of the highest in comparison to other districts in the country.