Soil and substandard ballast found used in Dadeldhura road construction

Dadeldhura: The use of substandard materials in the construction of the Bhatkanda–Badal–Rail road in Dadeldhura has come to light, prompting strong objections from local residents. Concerns escalated after it was discovered that soil and low-quality ballast were used in place of sand during the construction of a retaining wall. This key road, which connects Ganyapadhura Rural Municipality-1—also the constituency of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba—to Shikhar Municipality in Doti via Ruwakhola, has faced repeated scrutiny for failing to meet construction deadlines.

Local resident Surendra Chand reported that the wall built with soil collapsed on Tuesday following protests from locals. With rising complaints, a team led by Chief District Officer Bishnu Prasad Koirala conducted an on-site inspection. After the monitoring visit, Pradya Koirala stated that construction delays and quality issues stemmed from excessive low-bidding, use of substandard materials, failure to adhere to deadlines, and negligence.

Although a contract was signed in fiscal year 2078/79 to blacktop a four-and-a-half-kilometer section of the road, work remains incomplete. Meanwhile, other road sections contracted later were fully blacktopped last year. Locals have consistently questioned why this road, whose track was opened in 2052 BS, has still not been finished. A contract worth Rs 95 million had been awarded to Anak Joshi Malika Construction Company to blacktop the stretch from Bhatkanda Bazaar along the Mahakali Highway. However, investigations revealed that excavated soil was used as sand and inferior crushed stones were used as ballast.

According to local resident Santosh Deuba, soil was used as sand, poor-quality ballast was applied, and there are suspicions that expired cement may have been used in some sections. He stated that the project has been in disarray for five years and that quality concerns persist. He also complained that attempts to contact staff at the Road Division Office received no response.

Sub-Engineer Vivek Sharma of the Road Division Office, Doti, said physical progress has reached only 41 percent. The contract agreement for blacktopping the Bhatkanda–Badal–Rail road was signed in Magh 2078, with an initial target of completion by mid-Chait 2080. However, due to delays in starting the work, the deadline was extended. Last year, only cutting work and wall construction were completed, based on which the deadline was again extended to mid-Ashar 2082. Sharma confirmed that wall construction has resumed.

Raghubir Saud, operator of Anak Joshi Malika Construction Company, stated that the deadline was extended after partial work was completed last year. However, the project has once again drawn controversy amid serious quality concerns raised by both local residents and authorities.

(Source: Gorkhapatra)