Bitumen shortage stalls road blacktopping in Karnali
Summary
A shortage of bitumen has stalled blacktopping of roads in Karnali Province, delaying targets and inflating prices.
Key Points
- Bitumen shortage due to tensions in West Asia has stalled road blacktopping in Karnali Province.
- The provincial government aimed to blacktop 161 km of roads this fiscal year but has completed only 53.26 km by mid-April.
- Prices of bitumen have tripled from Rs90 per kg to around Rs250, making construction financially unfeasible.
- Several districts including Surkhet, Salyan, Dailekh, and Rukum West have made limited progress, while Kalikot and Humla show no progress.
