A bridge in Saptari district, initially slated for completion within a year, remains incomplete even after six and a half years.

The bridge over the Jita stream in Chatti Tol in ward 4 of Tilathi Koiladi Rural Municipality was inaugurated in July 2018 by Satish Kumar Singh, the current chief minister of Madhesh Province, when he was the rural municipality's chairman. However, construction progress has been slow, with only a rebar frame for the bridge pillar erected on one side of the site. The rust on the frame indicates it was put up long ago.

The bridge is along the Jandaul-Kusaha road section. The local people are hardest hit by the delay in constructing the project. The bridge, spanning 20.56 meters in length and 6 meters in width, was contracted under the National Rural Transport Improvement Programme.

The contract was awarded to Kanchharam Construction, a company linked to federal minister of state for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Purna Bahadur Tamang. The company signed an agreement to complete the project by July 2019 at a cost of Rs29.2 million. However, even after multiple deadline extensions, only around 45 percent physical work of the bridge project has been completed so far.

After missing the initial deadline in 2019, the contract was extended thrice: first until December 2021, then until July 2023, and now until mid-April 2025. Despite these extensions, construction has remained stagnant since the first year, according to engineer Rahul Kumar Jha from the Infrastructure Development Office in Rajbiraj. So far, Rs12.6 million has been paid to the contractor, but there has been little to no progress at the site.

Local residents have been struggling without a bridge. During the monsoon, they use makeshift bamboo bridges and during the winter a culvert by placing pipes side by side across the river. Frustration among locals is growing, as the incomplete bridge has disrupted transportation and daily life in the region.

The construction company, however, claims that flaws in the bridge's design caused the delays. It argues that a section of the bridge sank by a metre, leading to a halt in work. Despite multiple technical evaluations and instructions to resume construction, the company has failed to restart the work.

Instead of resuming construction, the company submitted an application to the Infrastructure Development Office in Rajbiraj on January 7, 2025, requesting compensation due to increased costs and technical difficulties. The company contends that unstable soil conditions during the deep-well capping process led to structural failure.

In response, the Infrastructure Development Office has announced plans to take action against Nepal Technical Consultancy, the firm responsible for the bridge’s initial design. The office also stated that despite official correspondences instructing the contractor to continue construction under a revised variation order, Kanchharam Construction has ignored the instructions.

Chief Minister Singh has pledged strict action, stating that the provincial government had allocated Rs20 million in the current fiscal year for the project. However, with no progress to show, authorities are now considering legal action against the contractor.

Local officials, including Munilal Mukhiya, the chairman of ward 4 of Tilathi Koiladi, have expressed frustration over the prolonged delay. "For six and a half years, the people have suffered. During the rainy season, we are forced to build bamboo crossings to get across the river," Mukhiya said.

With only a month left before the latest deadline expires, the future of the bridge remains uncertain, adding to the growing concerns of local residents and authorities alike.