Landslide-blocked Barpak-Laprak road resumes after three months

Gorkha, The Barpak-Laprak road that was blocked for the past three months by landslides has resumed. The road that got damaged at various places due to landslips caused by rains has resumed since Tuesday, said Ganesh Subedi, chief of the road infrastructure development office, Gorkha.

Following the removal of debris with the help of a JCV bulldozer for seven to eight days, the blocked road has been opened for traffic, he said. The blocked road had affected local people in many ways including making it difficult to supply essentials to Laprak. As a result, local people were forced to carry heavy loads of food to Laprak and surrounding settlements even during festivals. The contractor has been accused of a delay in completing the upgrading works of the Barpak-Laprak, thus affecting the local people.

The road upgradation was contracted on 22 May, 2020 with the completion deadline being two years. Forty one months into the commencement of the road upgradation, the project has seen only 52 percent work, said Subedi. The Sharma Bikki JV won the contract. After the project did not complete within the deadline, the project deadline has been extended until 2 June, 2024. The office had signed a contract for the upgradation of 13.14 kilometers of the road for over Rs 341 million.