Strategic Myagdi-Dhorpatan Road Project Faces Delays

MYAGDI. The construction of the strategically important Darbang-Muna-Dhorpatan road project in Myagdi has slowed down. Local residents are concerned as the project, jointly funded by the Gandaki provincial and federal governments to upgrade the road connecting Darbang in Malika Rural Municipality to Muna in Dhaulagiri, has failed to gain momentum.

Buddhiman Sherpunja, a community leader from Muna, Dhaulagiri-3, stated that construction of the road, which serves as an alternative to the Baglung-Kankri section of the Mid-Hill Highway and connects Myagdi to East Rukum via Dhorpatan, has slowed significantly over the past month.

“The contractor, who has completed only about five to six crore worth of work out of this year's 23 crore budget, has reduced the number of workers and equipment over the last month,” he said. “With the project scheduled for completion in two years, the lack of progress raises the risk of it being left abandoned.”

As the largest and most expensive project currently underway in Myagdi under the Gandaki provincial government, it involves asphalt paving and concrete work on the Darbang-Dharapani (seven kilometers) and Machhim-Muna (four kilometers) sections.

The contract was signed on 2082 Ashar 11 with a construction company that bid 52 crore 80 lakh 53 thousand rupees for a project with an estimated cost of 67 crore rupees, excluding administrative expenses. The Infrastructure Development Office reported that the contractor, who began work in 2082 Kartik, has achieved only about 10 percent physical progress so far.

Dr. Mahendra Baniya, Senior Divisional Engineer and head of the office, stated that the contractor has slowed down work citing rising fuel and construction material costs. “The lack of progress on the Darbang-Muna-Dhorpatan project, which has the largest budget, has led to issues where funds remain unspent and contractors working on other multi-year projects are not receiving payments,” he said. “Rising costs of fuel and materials have made it difficult for the contractor to proceed.”

The project, which features a 50-50 cost-sharing agreement between the federal and provincial governments, has a contract duration of 27 months. A budget of 23 crore 22 lakh rupees has been allocated for the current fiscal year 2082-083, following a 24 crore allocation in the 2081-082 fiscal year.

If the project is not completed by the next fiscal year, the federal government may withhold funding, placing an additional financial burden on the provincial government. The road reached Muna in 2071 BS, and the rural municipality had previously maintained the dirt road to facilitate transportation.

This route is 50 kilometers shorter for residents of Myagdi's Mangala, Malika, and Dhaulagiri rural municipalities, as well as those in Dhorpatan, Baglung, and East Rukum, to travel to Pokhara and Kathmandu. Provincial Assembly member Resham Bahadur Jugjali, elected from Myagdi 1(B), expressed concern over the delays and stated that he is facilitating efforts to draw the provincial government's attention and accelerate work at the local level.

Under the same road project, a contract worth 14 crore 61 lakh 61 thousand rupees was signed in the 2080-081 fiscal year for the blacktopping, concreting, and gravelling of a six-kilometer section from Dharapani to Jhindanda via Takam in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-7.

Construction company operator Bhim Sapkota stated that they are committed to completing the project despite the rising costs of fuel and materials. The road route connecting Muna through Mareni to Jaljala-Dhorpatan and eventually to Taksera in East Rukum has already been opened, and 18 kilometers from Beni to Talawang have been paved.