Chitwan, April 19 -- Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Friday inaugurated the six-lane road widening along the East-West Highway passing through Bharatpur Metropolitan City, a project that completed 20 months behind schedule.

The 6-kilometre stretch from Narayanghat Pulchowk to Gondrang was initially launched by Oli himself on January 30, 2021 during his previous tenure as prime minister.

Despite setting a target of completing the task within 27 months, the project was only accomplished by mid-January this year.

Chief of the Bharatpur Division Road Office, Narayan Prasad Lamichhane, attributed the delay to the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges, noting that the total cost of the project amounted to Rs1.13 billion.

Along with the pri...