Lumbini: The Bhairahawa-Lumbini-Taulihawa Road expansion which ought to be completed by January 13 this year has been completed only 60 per cent so far. As a result, completion of rest 40 per cent has been pushed further owing to a number of reasons.

The Indian company Gawar Construction Limited was awarded the tender for the construction of this 41-kilo metre and 130 metre-road linking Bhairahawa in Lumbini to Taulihawa in Kapilvastu. The project was estimated to cost over Rs 1.93 billion some 30 months ago.

Gabar Construction Company’s representative Madhu Acharya shared that expansion work had failed to gain momentum in the past since the Nepal Electricity Authority had taken longer than expected time to relocate the electricity poles.

Furthermore, Acharya shared that the Office of Drinking Water Supply also took longer time in management of drinking water pipes lying along the road. Stating that the additional six months have been sought from the concerned authority and pledging timely completion by mid-July this year, he informed that expansion work was left out for one kilo metre stretch from Lumbini-Taulihawa road section while other works relating to expansion was in the final stage.

The six-lane road, which is expected to link the under-construction Bhairahawa International Airport with other roads of the adjacent areas in Taulihawa and Lumbini, is also believed to contribute towards promotion of agriculture and tourism of this zone.

The Road to be expanded with financial aid of the Asian Development Bank features green belt in the middle for plants, two-lane of roads in both sides for vehicles and service lanes in both sides for the vehicles to connect with other roads and with footpaths on both sides.

As the expansion project witnessed a sluggish process, the locals long have been suffering air pollution and haphazard traffic movement subsequently leading to road accidents, informed Umeshchandra Rijal, a local.

According to him, the road remains dusty during dry reasons and muddy during the rainy season, causing a great deal of inconvenience to the locals here as well as the domestic and foreign tourists coming to visit Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha.