Residents Face Hardship as Motorable Bridge Construction Stalls Over Darakhola Stream in Myagdi

Myagdi. Residents of Dara and Mudi are facing problems due to the non-construction of a motorable bridge over the Darakhola stream in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-3, Myagdi.

Although a survey for the construction of the motorable bridge over Darakhola was conducted four years ago, it has not been implemented due to a lack of budget and planning, said Paras Buda of Dara village. Residents of Ward No. 3 Dara and Ward No. 4 Mudi of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality are suffering due to the absence of the bridge.

During winter, arrangements are made for vehicle movement by placing hume pipes. During the monsoon season, when floods occur in Darakhola, vehicles cannot cross from Asar to Kartik.

A bridge over Darakhola is necessary for the regular operation of traffic on the road connecting Dara, Mudi, Bagar, Naura, Nerwang, Chechung, Khivang, and Khamla settlements to the rural municipality center, Muna. Approximately 700 households reside in these villages.

Bishal Gharti, Chairman of the Dhaulagiri Youth Club in Mudi, stated that the motorable bridge over Darakhola is their primary demand and necessity. He mentioned that candidates visiting the village for the upcoming House of Representatives election have been urged to build the bridge over Darakhola.

Hari Prasad Buda from Dara complained that the lack of a bridge causes problems in transporting food and construction materials, taking the sick to the hospital, and sending agricultural and livestock products to the market during the monsoon season. Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality prepared a detailed project report in the fiscal year 2078/79 for the construction of a 25-meter long motorable bridge over Darakhola.

Although the Gandaki Provincial Government allocated a budget of Rs 5 million in the fiscal year 2080/081 and Rs 3 million in 2081/082, the implementation was stalled because the budget could not be increased and source assurance secured due to political instability and government changes.

Vice-Chairperson Resham Punamagar stated that after the plan requested from the federal government was not addressed in the fiscal year 2082/083, the rural municipality allocated a budget of Rs 1.5 million. The rural municipality's policy and program mention building a Bailey bridge over Darakhola in coordination with the hydropower projects under construction in the Dara-Mudi area.

Residents of the affected areas insist that the social responsibility funds from the hydropower projects should not be spent on the bridge. The hydropower projects do not wish to bear additional expenses. Elected representatives say that the delay in implementing the plan to build the bridge over Darakhola is due to the rural municipality's lack of sufficient financial resources.