INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kathmandu, January 12Around one-and-a-half decade into construction, 83 per cent work
on the Postal Highway has been completed
It is expected to take around three years for completion of the national pride project.
Tourism recovery at 55.76 per cent
compared to pre-pandemic levels
Around 15 per cent votes under PR yet to be
counted
Under the project considered to be a base
for the prosperity of Madhes, construction of 910-kilometre road and 115 bridges have been completed.
"The COVID-19
pandemic, disputes over the project location and the border blockade have been blamed for delay in completion of the project," said
Dharmendra Kumar Jha, chief of the Postal Highway Directorate."The construction of around 250-kilometre road is yet to be contracted and
work on around 500-kilometre road is under way.""Negligence on the part of the contractors in some cases is responsible for the delay," said
Jha, adding, "In some other cases, the contract was extended from time to time." Jha said although there was arrangement to extend the
deadline even after the project was not completed within the deadline due to laws in the past, now a construction company could be fined for
its failure to complete the works within the deadline."The construction company could face action if it fails to complete the determined
task during the extended period."A version of this article appears in the print on January 13, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com