Though the track of the 52.7 kilometre Bhaktapur Ring Road that links six municipalities in the district has been opened, only 35 kilometre section has been blacktopped owing to budget crunch.

The District Development Committee had started constructing the Ring Road in fiscal year 2001/2 with an initial investment of Rs7.5 million. More than Rs40.4 million has been pumped into the project so far.

The DDC has been releasing around Rs4 million each year for the ring road, except in fiscal year 2012/13 when it released just Rs207,000 and in 2013/14 when no budget was allocated.

Last fiscal year, the road project got regular budget of Rs4 million. The amount was used for the improvement of existing track from Sipadol-8 to Nankhel-5 in Suryabinayak Municipality, construction of Chareli-Manedanda road in Mahamanjushree-Nagarkot Municipality and improvement of Mahadev Khola-Tarkhagal road in Anantalingeshwor Municipality.

Likewise, the budget was also used for the repair of the Saraswatikhel Bus Park-Manohara Bridge-Mulpani road section in Madhyapur Thimi and for the construction of drainage from Neelbarahi Checkpoint to Duwakot-based Guhyeshwori Battalion of Armed Police Force in Changunarayan Municipality.

According to the DDC, Rs1.7 million has been allocated for the improvement of the road this fiscal year. DDC officials blame lack of budget for the delay in completing the road constructed initiated 14 years ago.

“This project needs a massive investment and DDC’s sources alone cannot meet the requirements,”

an official said. “The government has not released adequate budget despite repeated requests.”

The Bhaktapur Ring Road plan was first conceived in 1985 while its initial study was conducted in 1995. Detailed study of the road was conducted in 1999 and a DDC meeting finalised the road’s boundary in 2000. Construction began the following year. The road

encircles Bhaktapur Municipality and links Anantalingeshwor, Suryabinayak, Mahamanjushree-Nagarkot, Changunarayan and Madhyapur Thimi municipalities.

Of the total lenth, about 35 kilometre section has been blacktopped and the rest has only been gravelled.

According to the DDC, it has completed installation of 10 slab culverts along the road while installation of small box culverts and hume pipe culverts in several places remain

incomplete. Traffic movement goes unhindered in 42.2 kilometre section of the road throughout the year but road sections in Tathali Pujaripati-Chittapol, Duwakot, Saraswatikhel and Bode have been obstructed due to landslips.

The DDC had fixed the width of the ring road at eight metres but the section from Palanse to Nankhel-2 is narrower as there are houses on either sides. Local community has not even allowed survey for road expansion as they do not want to relocate, DDC officials said.

Authorities said though the total cost of the project was estimated at Rs500 million, it will require around Rs1 billion now. The DDC has completed blacktopping of the 9.7 kilometre Lokanthali -Jhaukhel Gelal Gaun section. Out of the 8.3 kilometre Gelal Gaun-Telkot Bhanjyang section, 2.5 kilometre has been blacktopped.

Likewise, 2.75 kilometre section of the 8.15 kilometre Telkot-Khawa section, 6.57 kilometre of the 6.87 kilometre Khawa-Sanga section, 2.5 kilometre of 10.24 kilometre Palanse-Suryabinayak section, 1 kilometre of the 7.25 kilometre Suryabinayak-Biruwa section and 6 kilometre of the 6.75 kilometre Biruwa-Lokanthali section have been blacktopped.