Chitwan, June 12 -- Three years after a contract was awarded to build the much-publicised Narayani iconic bridge, physical progress on the project remains minimal, with only foundation work underway.

The contract for the bridge, which will connect Narayangarh and Gaindakot, was signed with Tundi Construction on June 2, 2023. Under the agreement, the company was required to complete the design within a year and finish construction within the following three years.

However, repeated revisions to the design delayed approval until November last year, more than a year behind schedule.

"The design approval was delayed by around 16 months due to modifications," said Santosh Bhandari, site engineer at the Division Road Office in Bharatpur. "Th...