DistantNews
Support us
Manang bridge remains incomplete 10 years after contract signed
🇳🇵 Nepal /Energy & Infrastructure

Manang bridge remains incomplete 10 years after contract signed

From OnlineKhabar English · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • A vital bridge in Manang, Nepal, remains unfinished 10 years after its construction contract was signed.
  • The incomplete bridge over the Marsyangdi River forces locals to undertake risky journeys.
  • Despite receiving 70% of the contract payment, the contractor has made slow progress, leading to demands for contract termination.

A decade after a contract was signed, a crucial motorable bridge over the Marsyangdi River in Manang, Nepal, remains incomplete, forcing residents to navigate dangerous routes.

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.

— Mukhiya LamaA resident describing the impact of the incomplete bridge on daily travel.

The bridge, intended to connect Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality-3 and Ngawal-4, has seen minimal progress despite the contractor receiving approximately 70% of the agreed payment. Hari Thapa, Chief of the Infrastructure Development Office in Manang, stated that the contractor has failed to expedite work, even after receiving multiple deadline extensions.

The contractor had failed to accelerate the work despite receiving the required payments and repeated extensions to the project deadline.

— Hari ThapaChief of the Infrastructure Development Office, Manang, explaining the contractor's lack of progress.

The original contract stipulated completion by the end of Asar 2073 BS (Nepali calendar), with an estimated cost of around 40 million Nepalese rupees. Locals expressed frustration, noting that the current travel time to the rural municipality office is significantly longer due to the absence of the bridge.

Both the contractor and concerned authorities had shown little interest in completing the project.

— Krishna Bahadur LamaChairperson of Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality-3, criticizing the lack of progress.

Krishna Bahadur Lama, Chairperson of Manang Ngisyang Rural Municipality-3, criticized both the contractor and the relevant authorities for their lack of commitment. Residents are now demanding the contract be terminated and a new company hired if work does not resume promptly. During a recent site visit, Manang lawmaker Tek Bahadur Gurung urged the contractor to restart construction immediately and advised the office to release payments only after verifying actual progress. Former lawmaker Palden Chhompang Gurung highlighted the difficulties the delay has caused for both residents and tourists.

Instructed the contractor to resume construction immediately and urged the concerned office to release payments only after assessing the actual progress.

— Tek Bahadur GurungManang lawmaker giving directives during a monitoring visit.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by OnlineKhabar English. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog