Mid-Hill Highway Track Opening: Work hit as local Maoist leaders seek commission
Local Maoist leaders’ demand for commission from contractors has badly affected the track opening work of the Mid-Hill Highway in Rukum.
The situation is such that it is almost impossible to continue the work, according to a senior official at the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works. The highway project has awarded the contract for opening 80-km track in the district to 16 contractors.
The official said they had informed about the issue to Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun and other central-level leaders, including Janardhan Sharma, but to no avail. “The problem has remained unsolved despite assurances from high-profile party leaders,” the official said, without divulging the names of the local leaders seeking commission.
Mid-Hill Highway is a national pride project that passes through 12 zones, 24 districts, and 215 VDCs and is expected to serve nearly 7 million people. The government has targeted to complete the entire track opening work and blacktopping of 70 km within this fiscal year.
With a total length of 1,767 km, the highway connects Chiyo Bhanjyang of Pachthar district in the east with Jhulaghat of Baitadi district in the west.
As per the government’s plan for the last fiscal year, the track opening of this much-talked-about highway was supposed to complete by mid-July, 2011. However, the plan could not materialize due to the lack of awareness among residents of Dailekh, Jajarkot and Rukum districts as well as political interference, according to project officials.
“Track opening will complete in the East section within a couple of months,” an official said. He, however, added that the blacktopping of 70 km was not possible this fiscal year.
In its Immediate Action Plan (IAP), the government has put the Mid-hill Highway in its high priority list, and has sought to complete the entire blacktopping work within the next four years. The highway project requires around Rs 35 billion for blacktopping, as per the ministry’s estimation.
According to project officials, construction work could not move ahead as anticipated due to geographical difficulties, fuel shortage and interference by local leaders. An early resolution to the Rukum problem will help expedite work, they said.
The budget for the current fiscal year has targeted to open 116 km track of the highway. Track opening of 26km has been completed as of the fifth month of the current fiscal year, according to the Ministry of Finance. A total of Rs 1.75 billion has been allocated for the project this year, but only Rs 320 million has been spent so far.
Posted on: 2012-02-05 10:08
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