Concrete bridge in Kaligandaki remains unfinished

The construction of the concrete bridge connecting Gulmi and Parbat has not progressed for the past six years. The work of the concrete bridge that was started to connect Purtighat of Gulmi's Kaligandaki Rural Municipality and Ranipani of Parbat's Bihadi Rural Municipality has not progressed.

The then Tamghas-Simaltari-Pyuthan road project was signed between Gulmi and Elite Construction Pvt. Ltd. Kathmandu on August 31, 2016, but the construction could not be completed. It is mentioned in the contract that a concrete bridge will be built at a total cost of Rs. 146.7 million.

According to the agreement, the construction of the concrete bridge should be completed on 12 April , 2020, but now the agreed Tamghas-Simaltari-Pyuthan road project Gulmi has been cancelled. Now Madan Bhandari Highway Project Planning Office Tamghas Gulmi is looking at this project. Surendra Lamsal, the contact person of the construction company, said that the work could not be completed on time due to geography.

"Due to the terrain, there is also a problem in transporting the construction materials to the construction site", he said. "Because the flow of the Kaligandaki river will increase, we have to work only three months a year," he added. He claims that they are working to be able to work till the last specified time period. Birendra Prakash Teli, Information Officer of Madan Bhandari Highway Project Planning Office, Tamghas Gulmi, also said that the construction work of Kaligandaki bridge has been delayed. He said that because the flow of water in the river is high and work can only be done for about three months in a year, the builders could not work on time.

 Meanwhile, information officer Teli clarified that they could not put pressure on the construction business because of the problems caused by the pandemic.

    According to the 12th Amendment of the Public Procurement Regulations, there is a provision to complete the work by the end of June 2024, so the office is being directed to complete the work by that period.

 Due to the bridge not being constructed on time, the residents of Purtighat and Ranipani have suffered in commuting. Bed Bahadur Thapa, Chairman of Gulmi's Kaligandaki Rural Municipality, said that due to their frequent visits, the builders have now shown some interest. If the flow of the Kaligandaki river does not increase before the rainy season, the builders have promised to build the foundation of the concrete bridge, said village chairman Thapa.