Bitumen price surge amid West Asia conflict stalls road works in Pithoragarh

Pithoragarh: Road asphalting and patchwork projects under the Centre's pothole-free roads programme have slowed down in Pithoragarh district following a surge in the cost of bitumen amid the ongoing West Asia conflict.Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the public works department had received Rs 4 crore for road asphalting and Rs 1.1 crore for patchwork across 14 roads in the district. However, work on a 7km stretch of the Pithoragarh-Jhulaghat road, which connects 50 villages, has come to a halt.PMGYS executive engineer Vivek Pratap Singh said bitumen is being supplied to Pithoragarh from a Mathura-based refinery. "The cost of one drum of bitumen was around Rs 10,000 before the conflict but prices have now risen by 25-30%. Contractors are demanding daily payments for supply, which has slowed progress," he said.A shortage of LPG cylinders has also disrupted the mixing process. "We used commercial gas cylinders for mixing bitumen but with the scarcity, we have switched to alternate solutions to cut costs," said PWD executive engineer Dinesh Gupta.Officials said work on five other roads, connecting around 70 villages, have also been affected, leaving commuters and residents struggling with unsafe travel conditions. Patchwork on internal city roads has similarly stalled.Residents expressed frustration at the delays. "We thought the Jhulaghat road would be hot-mixed soon, making travel smoother. Now we will have to wait longer," said Surendra Kumar, a resident of Jhulaghat.