Construction work on the Kankadbhitta-Laukahi road has been delayed due to a shortage of bitumen caused by tensions in West Asia. Nepal Oil Corporation’s quota system on diesel supply has failed to provide sufficient diesel required for the project. The eastern section of the Kankadbhitta-Laukahi road spans 45 kilometers and is being upgraded at a cost of NPR 1.0694 billion. (28 Chaitra, Kathmandu)
The shortage of petroleum products has slowed down the road construction, which is currently underway. The ongoing tensions in West Asia have led to a bitumen shortage, creating difficulties for road surfacing, according to Ujwal Prasain, Project Manager of the construction company, Ibraskan Kalika JV. The joint venture is responsible for upgrading the eastern section of the Kankadbhitta-Laukahi road corridor.
According to the company, the bitumen stock in hand will only last for 10–15 days during the main surfacing season. A base layer has been prepared on 22 kilometers of road for the first layer of surfacing, but despite costly purchases, the availability of bitumen remains insufficient, Prasain said. The Nepal Oil Corporation’s diesel quota system is also reported to have hampered the supply of diesel necessary for the project, causing further disruption in construction activities.
Sunilbabu Pant, Chief CDE of the eastern section of the Kankadbhitta-Laukahi road project, stated that surfacing is only possible using stored bitumen. He noted that the rising petroleum prices following the escalation of tensions in West Asia have made work more challenging, and the construction parties have conveyed these difficulties. Reports have reached project management that contractors have even returned Letters of Credit opened for bitumen import. Pant warned that if the West Asian crisis continues unresolved, work on this road project could stop within a week to ten days.
