By Our Correspondent

Sindhuli, Feb. 8

With the construction of a short remaining part of the 158-kilometres B.P. Highway, the alternative road to connect the Kathmandu valley with the Eastern Terai, likely to complete in a week, the vehicles and passengers to and from the Eastern Terai to the capital will experience a significant relief.

The long-awaited link road will be completed after the construction of nearly one-kilometre temporary track of Khalte-Khurkot section, which is expected to complete within a week.

"Now, the construction of the remaining part of the highway in Khalte-Khurkot part which is about one-km is going on and it might take a week to complete the task," said locals.

The construction of the road was disrupted from January 2008 due to a dispute over land compensation. The work resumed nearly two months ago after solving the problem.

As the project delayed for ages, the Department of Roads (DOR) has decided to open up a temporary track presently in the remaining part of the road on its own.

Sarad Acharya, a local of Khurkot, said that DOR had provided with scavator and Sindhuli District Development Committee had supported with the cost of the fuel.

He said that the construction of the remaining part was going on rapidly from both of the sides and might take only a week.

Currently, the vehicles are running on the highway from Banepa to Khalte of Sindhuli district.

After the completion of the remaining part from Khalte to Khurkot, the highway would connect Kathmandu valley to Bardibas of the Eastern Terai via the highway, said Resham Darlami, principal of Khalte High School.

He said that with the operation of this highway, the passengers travelling on the Mahendra Highway would get relief from perennial strikes.

Of the four parts of the B. P. Highway, first part Bardibas-Sindhuli, 37 km, and fourth part Banepa-Nepalthok, 50 km, have been in operation for years, said Ashok Shrestha, managing director of Shrestha Construction Company.

He said that the construction of the remaining third part of the highway was going on and nearly 95 per cent of the work had already been completed.

He said that the company would hand over the project to Japanese Contractor Company Hajmataise until March after completing the remaining work.

He said that the project was estimated to complete by 2011.

The locals shared that after the completion of the highway, it would be very short, convenient and economical to visit the capital city, Kathmandu.