RASUWA, Jan 7: The upgradation work of the Syafru-Rasuwagadhi road section connecting Rasuwagadhi checkpoint will start from April.

The work of moving electricity poles will be completed by March and the work will start immediately after that. Work is underway to move the electricity poles in the road section which is being upgraded with Chinese investment. The work of moving the electricity poles started last April.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Dhunche Distribution Center has stated that the poles are being shifted to other areas as compensation has not been distributed in some places. The global spread of the coronavirus and the project not shifting telephone wires and fiber network wires became the reasons for the delay. Similarly, the centre stated that the locals obstructed the construction as compensation in Tatopani area has not been distributed.

Work is underway to move the poles from Syafru post to Ronga bridge and from Ronga bridge to Lingling. Although the work was supposed to be completed within mid-January, the deadline has been extended to April due to various reasons.

According to the Galchhi-Trishuli-Mailung-Syafrubesi-Rasuwagadhi road project, about 50 percent of the 325 electricity poles along the road section are to be removed. Project Chief Narayan Dutta Bhandari said that the work will start after the site is cleared. “The NEA has said that the poles will be completely removed by March,” he said. “We will talk to the Chinese side accordingly.”

The Nepali side will have to move the electricity poles along the road section, remove the houses in the road area and compensate the affected people in the Tatopani area. After the completion of these three tasks, the Chinese side will move ahead with the work.

The upgradation of this road connecting Rasuwagadhi was started 14 months ago. The Chinese team came and announced the beginning of the upgrade in September 2019. The team had returned to China saying that they would upgrade after the Nepali side cleared the site. A few months later, the work was affected by the global pandemic.

Although the Chinese team moved forward to complete the construction within 39 months, COVID-19 had a direct impact on the project. The Syafru-Rasuwagadhi road is 17 kilometers long. The Chinese side will upgrade 15.8 kilometers. This is now a one-lane dirt road. The Chinese side will build a blacktopped two-lane road.

The road section is being upgraded with the help of a grant assistance from the Chinese government. According to the plan, Tibet Tianlu Company Limited will carry out the upgradation work of the road section. The detailed project report (DPR) of Syafrubesi-Rasuwagadhi road section has already been prepared.