Twelve projects under the Intensive Urban Development and Building Construction Office, Rajpur Doti, have remained stalled for the past nine months in Sanfebagar Municipality. These projects, launched under the Intensive Urban Development Program, include blacktopping of the Airport Bazaar and Chhipekhola Roads, construction of residences for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, development of Sarm Khelne Park and Bayalpata Park, repair of Baidyanath Dham Road, construction of the Thanti Bazaar Inner Road, the Tarekuna Complex Building, and the road from Ghughurkot Ward Office to Durbar. Additional plans involve the management of Hat Bazaar Khola, blacktopping of Pul Bazaar Road, and construction of the Lamakhet Dopka Drain.
The delays have been caused by financial disputes between the main contractor, Synergy/Dhruvatara JV, and the subcontractor, Langtang Construction Pvt Ltd, which was awarded dozens of projects as part of a single package. While eight projects have made sluggish progress, work on Baidyanath Dham Road, Thanti Bazaar Inner Road, Lamakhet Dopka Drainage, and Hat Bazaar Khola Management has yet to begin.
Nawaraj Buddha, Ward Chairman of Sanfebagar Municipality-4, said locals are suffering due to incomplete roads in key areas. “During the rice planting season, rainwater washes gravel from the unfinished Airport Bazaar road into the fields. Locals are demanding compensation. Contractors are unreachable. The so-called development is only causing damage,” he said.
The Synergy/Dhruvatara JV Construction Company signed a Rs 336.121m (including VAT) contract with the Urban Development and Building Construction Office on 31 Oct 2024, agreeing to complete the works within six months. It subcontracted the work to Langtang Construction Pvt Ltd.
Santosh Gurung, a representative of Langtang Construction, said the company is struggling due to non-payment. “We still haven’t received Rs 17.4m. How can we continue when we haven’t even been able to pay workers?” he said, alleging that the main contractor raised project bills and diverted Rs 146.4m for other works.
Another Langtang representative, Pradeep Khadka, claimed that while 51 percent of the work has been completed, the company has only received Rs 41m. He reiterated that the problem lies with the main contractor. According to him, only the construction of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor’s residence and the Tarekuna Complex building is currently progressing; all other roadworks have stalled.
Ram Ashish Das, Project Chief at the Urban Development and Building Construction Office, Doti, also acknowledged serious negligence by the contractor. He stated that the office has forwarded a request for a one-year extension to the department, although only a six-month extension is likely to be approved. “The main and subcontractors haven’t even sat down for talks,” he said, adding that payments were released before Dashain based on verified work. The subcontractor claims they haven’t received the amount due, while the main contractor allegedly exaggerated the scope of work completed. “With the monsoon underway and Dashain-Tihar approaching, we are left with no choice but to consider legal action,” he added.
Dhubra Kunwar, a representative of Synergy/Dhruvatara JV, claimed that the company had paid Langtang Construction. “We received Rs 146.4m from the Intensive Urban Development Program and paid Langtang accordingly. The subcontractor has now gone out of contact,” he said, adding that work will now resume after delays caused by budget shortages and other issues.
