- Monday, 20 January 2025
Nawalpur, July 8: The expansion of the Narayangadh-Butwal road section has been halted due to incessant rain.
According to project chief of the eastern section of Narayangadh-Butwal Road Expansion Project Ashish Thapa Magar, efforts are being made for smooth transport operation rather than widening the road.
“We have now focused on making the road traffic easier as the road expansion work could not be carried out”, he said, adding, “The construction company has put its human resource and equipment to ease the traffic in the areas where the road is blocked”.
He said that the contractor has been assigned to repair potholes on the road, place pebbles in the area where the road is slippery due to rain and remove the landslide debris. “The contractor company had been reducing its resources a week ago since the onset of monsoon this year”, he said, adding, “The work has been halted as the road expansion work could not be carried out due to rain”.
According to project chief Magar, only 52 percent of the physical progress of the road expansion project – that began since January 2019 after signing an agreement has been made so far. Of the 114 kilometers of Narayangadh-Butwal road, 65-km is in the eastern section.
China State Engineering Corporation Limited, a contractor, has not been able to advance the road expansion work on time. After the expiry of the deadline on coming July 23, the company has applied for project extension for one more year.
“The company has applied for an extension citing various reasons”, he said, adding, “The company has applied for an extension citing old reasons, including the COVID -19 pandemic that spread at the time of commencement of the work, late approval for cutting down the trees, delay in shifting the electric pole”. Project chief Magar said that they are in discussion on how many days it would be appropriate to extend the deadline on the basis of the request by the company. “The consultant and we work together on the extension of deadline”, he said, adding, “We will forward our recommendation to the ministry for timeline expansion”.
Though the timeline extension approval will come before July 23, it cannot be predicted how many days will be extended for the project, he noted.
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02- Lamjung palace being reconstructed in original, antique style
Gandaki, July 8: The Lamjung Palace that was built in the era of ’24 Principalities (Chaubise Rajya)’ is being reconstructed.
The Department of Archeology had initiated the palace reconstruction two years ago after its deterioration.
It is believed that the Palace was constructed in the 16th century.
According to the Department’s Engineer Govinda Adhikari, around 70 percent physical progress has been made in the reconstruction of the palace. “The target is to complete the work within the next fiscal year provided no shortage of resources”, he said.
The reconstruction had started last year with a budgetary allocation of Rs 13.3 million, while the government earmarked budget of Rs 5 million for the current fiscal year.
In the first year, Bhaktapur-based construction company NPS and this year Bhaktapur-based RGS Bishnu JV were entrusted with the responsibility for rebuilding the palace.
Engineer Adhikari said the palace is being reconstructed in the ancient style and form. “The reconstruction of the historic Kalika temple along with the palace is going on simultaneously. The palace will be three-storey roof with attic and the Kalika temple will be of pagoda style.
Engineer Adhikari informed that the construction materials including bricks, wood and brick powder required for the construction of the palace were brought from Bhaktapur.
“The reconstruction of both the palace and temple is being done in a way that reflects antique architecture. As it is a structure of archaeological importance, the construction materials are expensive and also need equal volume of time and diligence”. The palace is being built in the original style and form, he informed.
Chairperson of Gaunsahar Kalika Temple Preservation and Management Committee, Rajendra Bohora said although the target was to rebuild the palace within this fiscal year, the progress of the work has been in snail pace due to budget constraints.
“This year the budget has decreased compared to the previous year and if there is not enough budget, the reconstruction of the palace will not be completed next year as well”, he said. He called for the federal, provincial and local governments to invest in the reconstruction and management of the palace, a historical heritage.
The Palace and Kalika Temple are located in Besisahar Rural Municipality-3 of Lamjung.
Bohora said that the reconstruction of the palace, which has been in a dilapidated condition, has rekindled a new hope. “If the rebuild is completed soon, the palace can be established as a tourist destination, which will spread the fame of the entire Lamjung district at home and abroad”, he said.
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03- Three women injured in tiger attack in Dang
Tulsipur, July 8: Three women were injured in a tiger attack in Dang. Kamala KC, 45, Sita Kumari Bhandari, 53, and Sarita Bhandari, 18, of Tulsipur sub-metropolis-9 were injured in the wild beast attack, said Police Inspector at the Area Police Office Tulsipur Prakash Thapa.
The tiger bounced on the women when they went to collect mushrooms at the Nawadurga Community Forest at Tulsipur sub-metropolis this morning. Kamala sustained minor injuries on both the hands while Sita has injuries on her back and abdomen and Sarita on her right hand.
The injured are undergoing treatment at Rapti Provincial Hospital, Tulsipur.
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04- Floods waterlog settlements in Kailali
Tikapur, July 8: Normal life has been affected in Kailali due to floods following incessant rainfall.
Some families have been displaced after floods entered the settlement in Bhajani of Kailali on Sunday night. The municipality and the locals have jointly shifted the people of the risky areas to postal roads and high-placed buildings throughout the night.
Krishna Dhamala, a local, said some families in Bhajani have left the settlement overnight and moved to the streets. The people living in the settlement sat on the postal road with children and livestock at night due to the rise in water level in rivers and rivulets.
The flood has inundated almost all the wards of Bhajani. All the houses in ward-8 have been inundated. “Hundreds of families have moved to the streets and high-rise houses with their belongings after the settlements were waterlogged following incessant rains”, he said. The southern and eastern parts of Kailali have been inundated due to the floods.
The settlements of Tikapur, Bhajani, Janaki and Joshipur of Kailali near the rivers and rivulets have been inundated due to the rise in water level in the River Chure and the Karnali River. Some families have been displaced in Tikapur municipality.
Disaster Management Section Chief of Tikapur Nirmala Chaudhary said that 65 houses of Parseni, Bhartapur and Bhagwanpur of ward-6 have been inundated due to the flood in Patharaya River.
Ward no. 2, 5, 7 and 8 of Tikapur are at risk of inundation with the water level in the Karnali River increases. Similarly, Joshipur rural municipality has also been inundated due to incessant rain.
Chief of the disaster management section of Joshipur rural municipality, Sita Singh said water from the Kada River has entered Bhittariya and inundated it.
Most of Janaki’s wards have been inundated and some families have been displaced.
Disaster management section chief Netra Prasad Jaisi said many settlements in ward 4 and 7 have been inundated. “There are 11 families living in Girdharpur of ward 4. There are 15 families living in Farela of ward 7,” Jaisi said.
Dozens of settlements in Janaki are waterlogged. The municipalities in the area have intensified their work such as cleaning drains after the floods ran through the settlements. They have been engaged in the work of opening the jammed drains and draining out water in the submerged areas.
Information Officer at the District Administration Office, Shivaraj Joshi, shared various places in the district have been inundated due to rain so the teams are being mobilized to minimize the damage.
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05- Over 1,600 people affected due to floods in Kanchanpur
Dodhara Chandani (Kanchanpur), July 8: Incessant rains triggered floods have submerged some settlements in Kanchanpur.
According to the District Police Office, Kanchanpur, most of the areas have been affected by the flood. Three settlements of Dodhara Chandani municipality-10 have been inundated after the Mahakali and Jogbuda Rivers entered the settlements.
Kutiyakabhar of Jogbuda and Shanti tole and Lisani tole of Wari have been inundated. Similarly, Bhimdutta municipality, Bedkot, Shuklaphanta, Krishnapur municipality and most of the settlements in the southern region of Kanchanpur have been flooded.
Spokesperson at the District Police Office, Deputy Superintendent of Police Umesh Joshi, said 1,622 people who were affected by the floods across the district have been rescued and shifted to safer places.
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