KAVRE: Protests by locals in the Pulbazaar area of Banepa have affected the ongoing expansion of the Sanga-Dhulikhel section of the Arniko Highway into a four-lane road for the past six weeks.
According to the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel Road Expansion Project under the Department of Roads, the protests have stalled work on a 200-meter stretch.
The dispute centers on the road’s centerline alignment. Locals have been demanding that the midpoint between houses on either side of the road be used as the centerline. However, project engineer Bishnu Khanal said that they were simply adhering to the project design. “Locals, however, are insisting that the project first redefine the centerline. This has affected work on this stretch,” he added.
Efforts to resolve the issue by holding discussions with the local people have not been fruitful. A recent discussion organized by the representatives of the Banepa Municipality also failed to reach a consensus.
The obstruction in the Pulbazaar area has prevented the project from advancing into Banepa’s main market area. Although side drains have been built on the one-kilometer stretch from Chandeshwari River to Chardobato, other works have been affected. Khanal, however, added that work progress in other sections has been satisfactory. “We plan to blacktop the stretch in the Dhulikhel area soon after completing retaining wall, drain, and pavement works,” Khanal said. “However, works like relocating electricity poles, removing buildings and laying optical fiber lines have been affected in the Pulbazaar area.”
According to the project office, nine houses, two each in Nasikasthan and Janagal, three in Bhainsepati, and one each in Budol and 28 Kilo, on the project’s right of way, have not been demolished yet. “About 70% of the electricity poles have been removed. One high-tension pole, however, is still to be removed,” he added.
Launched in January 2022 with a 36-month deadline, the 16-km road upgrade is divided into two sections: Suryabinayak-Sanga and Sanga-Dhulikhel. The project, which is estimated to cost nearly Rs 8 billion, has achieved 45% physical progress.
The expansion aims to alleviate chronic traffic congestion on the road, which has seen a rise in the number of vehicles following the reopening of the Tatopani border point. Over 1,500 vehicles from the mid-hills and eastern Tarai regions use this road to arrive in Kathmandu.
