Biratnagar. The upgrade of the Kakarbhitta-Laukahi road section, part of the East-West Highway and a national pride project, is in jeopardy due to severe shortages of fuel and bitumen.Recent surges in global petroleum prices and supply chain disruptions have brought construction work to a near standstill.Construction companies report that they are unable to proceed with road paving due to the scarcity and exorbitant price of bitumen, a critical material for blacktopping. This crisis is not limited to the Kakarbhitta-Laukahi road but has spread across the entire construction sector nationwide.The eastern section of the Kakarbhitta-Laukahi road (from Kakarbhitta to Sitapuri) was...