Manang, August 19
A motorable bridge over the Marsyangdi River linking Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality-3 and Ngawal-4 in Manang remains incomplete even 10 years after a construction contract was signed, forcing locals to travel at risk.
The Infrastructure Development Office, Manang, said the contractor has already received around 70 per cent of the contract payment, but construction has progressed very slowly. Office Chief Hari Thapa said the contractor had failed to accelerate the work despite receiving the required payments and repeated extensions to the project deadline.
The contract was signed to complete the bridge by the end of Asar 2073 BS at an estimated cost of around Rs 40 million. Locals say the delay has made travel to the rural municipality office difficult. “The office can be reached within four to five minutes once the bridge is built. At present, it takes much longer because there is no bridge,” said resident Mukhiya Lama.
Chairperson of Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality-3 Krishna Bahadur Lama said both the contractor and concerned authorities had shown little interest in completing the project. Locals have demanded that the contract be terminated if the contractor fails to resume work and that a new company be hired.
During a recent monitoring visit, Manang lawmaker and former minister Tek Bahadur Gurung instructed the contractor to resume construction immediately and urged the concerned office to release payments only after assessing the actual progress. Former lawmaker Palden Chhompang Gurung said the delay had caused difficulties for both locals and tourists visiting Manang.
