Siraha – A major road project in Siraha, which was supposed to be completed within two years, remains unfinished nearly five years after construction began. The 28-kilometer Golbazar–Lagadi–Gadiyani road, aimed at connecting Siraha Municipality, Arnama Rural Municipality, and Golbazar Municipality, has become a source of daily misery for locals due to persistent mud in the monsoon and dust in the dry season.
Locals like Jageshwar Yadav expressed disappointment, saying that their initial excitement about a blacktopped road has turned into frustration. “The contractor dug up the roadside and left it as is. With no completion in sight, the road is unusable,” he said.
Another resident, Sikendra Yadav of Arnama-3, noted that although the road was promised to be finished in two years, five years have passed with minimal progress, adding to the residents’ suffering.
The road, located in Siraha Constituency No. 3, has been a recurring election issue, but locals say political promises fade post-election. “We were hopeful when construction started, but the situation remains unchanged,” said Yadav.
The Postal Highway Directorate’s Janakpur office awarded the construction contract in August 2020 (Bhadra 2077 B.S.) with a deadline of March 2023 (Falgun 2079 B.S.), under then-Minister for Physical Infrastructure Basanta Kumar Nembang. However, only minor drainage and gravel works have been done so far.
Despite two deadline extensions, the project has achieved only 28% physical progress, according to directorate chief Krishna Kumar Mahato. He added that a final one-year extension is being processed and warned of potential action against the contractor if the project isn’t completed within the new timeline.
Arnama Rural Municipality Chairperson Ashok Yadav blamed both the contractor and the directorate for negligence, saying that even attempts to contact the construction company have failed. The project, worth NPR 913.97 million, has already seen payments of NPR 254.9 million (excluding VAT) made to the contractor.
