Commute through Daunne road stretch suffocating with sluggish expansion works

KATHMANDU: A regular journey through Dauune stretch along the Narayangadh-Butwal road section has become full of hassles.

It is now suffocating to travel through this section as the highway in Daunne area has been demolished during the road expansion.

Commuters are suffering every day due to snail pace in reconstruction of structures demolished during the road expansion.

Although other areas of the road section have been blacktopped in a pace, the bumpy and dusty roads, narrow turns and temporary diversions in Daunne area have made the journey precarious.

Jeevan Dhakal, a passenger, said, “The road from Dumkibas to Bardaghat via Daunne is risky. There is a risk of raod accidents due to dust and smoke. It took four hours to get through Daunne’s path”.

In absence of alternative roads, the problem owing to traffic congestion has further panicked the journey.

Basanta Khanal, a driver, said, “It takes two to three hours to cross the 14-KM road. There is a compulsion to take risky journey. . Most of the vehicles coming from and to Kathmandu reach here at midnight. During this time, the problems faced by passengers and drivers are more difficult. The risk of accidents is the same due to the dust that is not visible on the way”.

Laxman Tangami, sub-inspector at the Area Police Office, Dumkibas, said that the travel to the area was quite complicated due to snail pace in the construction of the road.

“The Daunne area of Narayangadh-Butwal road section is also considered to be the most risky area with the highest number of accidents. The number of small and big road accidents has also increased in this section these days”, he said.

Engineer Shiva Khanal, information officer of Narayangadh Butwal Road Project eastern section, said that out of 65 kilometers of roads in the eastern section, 47 kilometers have been blacktopped one-way. Construction of culverts and remaining bridges and base and sub-base works are underway at 13 places.

According to him, the physical progress of the eastern section under the project so far is 57.7 percent.

Rakesh Jha, co-manager of the construction company China State Construction Engineering, claimed that the construction work has been carried out in a way to reduce obstruction in vehicular movement.

“At present, more than 650 workers are being mobilized for road expansion. Under the eastern section of the road project, it took a long time to cut the most difficult hill rock in Daunne area”, he said.

Out of the 65 kilometers from Gaindakot to Daunne under the 114-kilometer Narayangadh-Butwal road, work is underway to expand the three-lane road in the market area with service lanes and in the 14-kilometer stretch of Daunne, Jha informed.

The project, which started at a cost of Rs 17 billion, has been extended three times so far due to lack of timely work. The deadline extended for the third time will expire on 24 July 2025.