Nagdhunga-Muglin Highway Expansion Faces New Delays and Looming Deadline Extensions
The crucial 95-kilometer Nagdhunga-Muglin road expansion remains incomplete after five years of work. Citing fuel inflation, bitumen shortages, and slow utility pole relocation, officials are preparing yet another round of deadline extensions as public frustration mounts.
The multi-billion-rupee upgradation of the Nagdhunga-Muglin highway has run into severe bottlenecks, forcing project management to consider further timeline adjustments. In the eastern division, contracted to joint ventures including Jangsu-Sagun JV and ZICG-Sharma-Lama JV, workers are rushing to patch dismantled road surfaces and fill potholes to prevent severe damage during the upcoming monsoon season. Conversely, the western division, managed by Sharma-ZICG, is grappling with a severe supply crunch, having received only 30 tons of the required bitumen needed to proceed with extensive blacktopping. Project engineers Keshav Prasad Ojha and Sachedra Mishra have clarified that any formal extensions will be determined systematically following final evaluations and recommendations from project consultants. With only days left on current contract timelines for portions of the highway, commuters face prolonged hardships on what is widely considered the nation's most critical transit corridor.