BIRATNAGAR: When Dhanu Sah observes a thin film of dust settled on his plated food, he is vividly reminded of his aspiration for wide, smooth four-lane thoroughfares where vehicles would traverse swiftly past his residence. For him, a resident of Adarshnagar, Katahari Rural Municipality-2 in Morang, bordering Biratnagar, that very developmental dream has now been transformed into an affliction.

“The windows and doors of the residence are sealed 24 hours a day, yet what mechanism can truly repel the dust? It settles not only upon the plate but is also deposited upon the whole bedroom and kitchen area,” a frustrated Sah says. “We petitioned for development, but in its place, we have been afflicted by illness and arduous hardship.”

Dilip Sah has been vending snacks on the same roadside for 35 years. Six years prior, before the plan for the new road construction had even commenced, Dilip was sustaining a family of 10 by selling hot snacks from a roadside cart in Adarshnagar. He typically accrued earnings of up to Rs 8,000 daily during the market days on Wednesday and Sunday and comfortably garnered approximately Rs 3,000 on other days. However, the abandoned road has not only decimated his business but has also eroded the very foundation of his livelihood.

“We invest effort and capital in preparing the goods throughout the morning, but the day’s dust renders everything futile. Now, patrons have ceased to frequent the snack stall,” says 60-year-old Dilip. He adds, “Sales scarcely achieve Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 across an entire day. What greater injustice could be inflicted?”

This suffering experienced by Dhanu and Dilip constitutes the daily plight of thousands of citizens residing along the six-kilometer section of the Postal Highway in Katahari. The construction of this road, which was initiated six years ago, is only 27 percent complete to date. The remaining 73 percent of the segment has metastasized into a perilous quagmire of dust, mud, and countless potholes.

The contract for expanding the 44-kilometer road from Ratuwa Khola to Kesaliya Khola along the Postal Highway to four lanes was awarded in the fiscal year 2019/20 for Rs 3.6 billion. A part of that, the six-kilometer section from Singhiya Khola to Judi Khola within Katahari Rural Municipality, was contracted to Shrestha Construction of Kathmandu for Rs 760 million.

After enduring years of government indifference and extreme contractor negligence, the local residents revolted on August 7. Even when they protested by planting rice in the muddy road, upper-level related agencies pretended not to see it. Following that, local youths blocked the Biratnagar-Rangeli road section on November 6. Their demand was simple: either build the road or cancel the contract.

Finally, an all-party meeting chaired by Yuvraj Kattel, the Chief District Officer of Morang, decided to proceed with the contract cancellation process. Upendra Das, an engineer and information officer at the Postal Highway Directorate, informed that the Directorate had already sent a letter to the Department of Roads on November 7 to break the contract. “Once the letter comes from the department, we will cancel the contract and initiate a new process,” he says.

Yuvraj Pokharel, Chief of the Postal Road Project, says that the main contractor, Subash Shrestha, has been out of contact for a long time. He says, “The deadline, which was extended for the second time, also expired at the end of June 14. Progress is only 27 percent, so after the department makes a decision, we will issue a notice to terminate the contract.”

27 Percent Work in Six Years

According to the agreement, the road should have been completed by November 9, 2022. However, work did not even start within the specified deadline. The deadline was then extended two times, but the contracting company never appeared serious about the work. Months have passed since the second extended deadline expired, but the road condition remains the same.

“We held discussions with the contractor’s representatives more than 22 times in the Chief District Officer’s office,” recalls local leader Gokul Bhattarai. “Every time, we received nothing but hollow assurances that ‘paving will be done soon.’ This is a betrayal of the citizens and a failure of the government mechanism.”

After loud public pressure and protests began, political parties and people’s representatives have also been energized. In an all-party meeting held at the Morang District Administration Office on July 28, people’s representatives unanimously pressed for the cancellation of the contract and the initiation of a new process.

Aman Lal Modi, former member of the House of Representatives and former minister from Morang Constituency No. 4, where the Postal Road is located, states that the negligence of the contracting company is inexcusable. “I have repeatedly raised the issue of the road’s condition in the Parliament and parliamentary committees. Despite constant appeals to the contractor, the work did not happen,” says Modi. “Now, the process of blacklisting the company that does not work must be initiated. The public cannot endure one more day of additional hardship.”

Bhim Parajuli, a Koshi Provincial Assembly member from the same constituency, has warned that he will draw the attention of the government once the Provincial Assembly session is called, and if the road construction process does not move forward even after that, he will stage a hunger strike until death. He issued this warning while speaking during the zero hour of the Provincial Assembly meeting on August 10. “I suspect the contractors might be more powerful than the government,” says Parajuli. “The province cannot shrug off responsibility by calling it a federal project; the provincial government must step forward with strength.”

Devraj Chaudhary, Chairman of Katahari Rural Municipality, states that the contractor, who failed to work even after two deadline extensions, has not been punished. “We drew the attention of the Prime Minister, ministers, and members of Parliament regarding our situation. Now we are completely fed up.”

14 fatalities, 139 injuries

The countless potholes on the six-kilometer dusty road section passing through Katahari Rural Municipality endanger the lives of thousands of travelers and locals daily. “Injuries from falling into potholes have become common,” says Kishore Pandey, former Ward Chairman of Katahari Rural Municipality-2. “Many have even lost their lives; who will listen to the cries of the public?”

A 21-year-old Sushil Paudel of Ilam is the latest example. On June 11, Paudel was riding his bicycle towards his destination in front of Gopal Fun Park in Katahari-2. A truck traveling from west to east struck his bicycle. He died during treatment at Koshi Hospital in Biratnagar.

In the last 28 months alone, 14 people have lost their lives and 139 people have been injured on the short distance from Singhiya Khola to the Judi Khola bridge in front of Naya Bazar.

Santosh Neupane, Traffic Police Inspector at the District Traffic Police Office, Morang, states that the poor condition of the road is the main cause of the accidents. “With so many potholes, vehicles become uncontrolled and end up in accidents,” he says.

Since this area is an industrial corridor, hundreds of cargo vehicles commute through this route daily. However, the dilapidated road endangers even these vehicles. “There is not a day in a week when a vehicle does not overturn,” said Subash Yadav of Katahari-2.