Construction of the suspension bridge intended to connect villages along the Kali Gandaki River in Thasang Rural Municipality-2, Mustang, has once again been stalled. Although 75 percent of the foundation and civil works for the Kowang-Sauru suspension bridge have been completed, construction has been halted for the past five months.
The Suspension Bridge Division Office, Kathmandu, contracted the 570-meter-long, 2-meter-wide suspension bridge over the Kali Gandaki River to Elite Rubina Construction JV on 12 May 2020, at a cost of Rs 50m. Initially, Elite Construction, the main company of the joint venture, began the work but left the project incomplete after partial progress.
According to the contract, the bridge was to be completed within 30 months, with a deadline of No 2022. However, the construction company repeatedly extended this deadline, citing disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, snowfall, and adverse weather conditions.
After the joint venture partner Rubina Construction abandoned the project, Elite Construction resumed responsibility in March 2024. Elite deployed Nikesh Shrestha as its site representative to oversee the bridge construction. Following Shrestha’s involvement, the foundation work—including two 6-meter deep foundations in the Kali Gandaki River—was completed by Dec 2024. Shrestha also reported that all civil work on the bridge is now complete, with overall physical progress reaching 75 percent.
“All the civil work has been done; only the bridge fitting remains,” Shrestha said. “If I had been allowed to continue, the bridge would have been finished by now. However, I have since been removed from the project.” He added that Elite Construction is preparing to assign a new representative to complete the finishing work.
Gautam Sherchan, Ward Chairperson of Thasang Rural Municipality-2, confirmed that construction has been stalled again for six months. He noted that the bridge, originally scheduled for completion three years ago, remains unfinished due to delays by the construction company.
Local resident Sojan Hirachan from Thasang-2 Sauru said Elite Construction has stored the bridge’s beams and steel parts near the site, but the fitting work has yet to progress. The bridge will directly benefit villages such as Sauru, Sirkhum, and Kokhethanti, located across the Kali Gandaki from the national highway.
Currently, villagers must risk crossing the river during the rainy season or travel about one and a half hours via the Kokhethanti suspension bridge to reach essential services such as the rural municipality office, schools, health centers, and the district headquarters in Jomsom. Hirachan said completing the new bridge would reduce this travel time to just 15 minutes.
