Nepal: Residents struggle under dust and delays as Chinese Loan-Funded Highway project stalls

Nov 19, 2024

Nawalparasi (Nepal)/ Kathmandu (Nepal), Nov 19 (ANI): The upgrade of the Narayanghat-Butwal road, an essential link connecting several provinces in Nepal, was expected to transform a two-lane road into six, four, and three lanes across different sections. But nearly six years into the project, residents and commuters are bearing the brunt of stalled construction. The project, financed by the Asian Development Bank at an initial cost of 16.99 billion Nepali Rupees, was due to be completed by July 2022. However, delays have forced multiple deadline extensions, now pushing completion to July 2025. Residents blame the contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, for its failure to deliver on time. Roads are slippery in the monsoon and dusty during dry seasons, with deep potholes exacerbating the chaos. Officials cite reasons such as the COVID-19 pandemic and insufficient materials, but residents remain unconvinced. The Nepalese Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli, laid the foundation stone for the project during his previous term in office in 2019. He is set to embark on a visit to Beijing later in December, ahead of which representatives from political parties in West Nawalparasi have submitted a memorandum demanding that the responsible parties be given strict instructions to expedite the construction work. PM Oli has expressed doubts about the project’s timely completion and warned that if progress does not accelerate, the government will terminate the contract.