Parasi, Jan. 7 -- Had road widening work along the Butwal-Narayanghat section progressed as per the original project agreement, vehicles would now be moving smoothly. Instead, travelling the 114-kilometre long stretch of the East-West Highway, which should take around three hours, now routinely takes six to seven hours. During light rain or cold waves, crossing the Daunne stretch alone takes eight to nine hours.

On December 30, Binod Pariyar was returning home to Butwal from Kathmandu. He reached Dumkibas at around 10pm, but it took him another 10 hours to cover just seven kilometres up to the Daunne Temple. Riding on an electric van, Pariyar managed to inch forward through the narrow road, overtaking where possible, but traffic came to ...