Jajarkot-Dolpa Road Project Faces Delays, New Bridges Approved

Jajarkot. The Nepali Army had handed over 103 kilometers of the 118-kilometer Jajarkot-Dolpa road section, after track opening, to the Road Division Chaurjahari on November 7, 2019, in a formal program on the banks of the Chhalsagad. Seven years after handing over the road, the blacktopping work of 56 kilometers of this road section has reached the final stage, while work has not started in the remaining places despite being contracted. However, there is a glimmer of hope for the citizens who have been suffering due to the lack of bridges for a long time. The National Planning Commission has given the consent sought by the Ministry of Finance to construct the remaining 14 bridges in the same section. These bridges will be constructed in the 62-kilometer area from Nalgad-12 in Jajarkot to Dunai, the district headquarters of Dolpa. The construction of 14 bridges from Tallu in Jajarkot to Dunai, the district headquarters of Dolpa, had been stuck for a long time, with files moving from the ministry to the planning commission. Project Chief Naresh Kesari said that other work will start once the source is ensured. 'Bridges with a length of less than thirty meters are approved by the Federal Road Supervision and Monitoring Office Surkhet, and those above that are sent to the higher authority,' he said. The Planning Commission has agreed to construct bridges in Phulbarikhola, Chhayanpatikhola, Khaharekhola, Ghattēkhola, Mankhola, Rijigar, Usumkhola, Karpagad, Khadang, Khadang Bheri, Chungaad, Tripurakot, Galli Gad, and Khor Khola within the Bheri Corridor. On one hand, the way for the construction of new bridges has opened, while on the other hand, five concrete bridges in the same road section have been lying incomplete for six years. The work on concrete bridges contracted six years ago has not been done, and leaders of this region have faced severe criticism. While the work of blacktopping 56 kilometers of the road has reached the final stage, no work has been done on the bridges that were contracted simultaneously. Project Chief Kesari said that five of the five abandoned bridges will be handed over to another company for construction, and the remaining two bridges will be constructed by Caravan itself, with final agreement being reached. Caravan Hirachan JV had taken the contract for the construction of concrete bridges over Nalagad Khola and Jhurme Khola in Jajarkot for 18 crore 43 lakh 43 thousand rupees on Magh 2, 2077. The same JV had also taken another contract on the same date for the construction of bridges over Tratra Khola in Nalgad-9, Maide Khola in Ward No. 8, and Taksugad Chaukha in Ward No. 11 for 13 crore 54 lakh rupees. These bridges, considered the lifelines of the Bheri Corridor, have been under construction for a long time. However, the construction of the bridge over the Bheri River in Nalgad-12, Tallu, and the bridge over Chhalsagad in Tripurasundari Municipality-1 of Dolpa has started. The work on the Chaharekhola bridge in Rukum Paschim's Athbiskot and the Pīpē Khola bridge in Jajarkot Bheri Municipality-1 is almost complete. However, the bridge in Khadang, contracted by APMRP Pulchowk JV, has not yet started due to disputes. Currently, vehicles can reach the district headquarters of Dolpa directly from Nepalgunj, Surkhet, and Kathmandu. Blacktopped roads reach Tallu in Jajarkot, and from there, vehicles travel on the unpaved road constructed by the Nepali Army via Rukum Paschim to reach the district headquarters of Dunai. With the access to transportation, the number of tourists visiting the tourist destinations of Dolpa has increased significantly. Currently, this road section has been named the Bheri Corridor Road Project. The total length of this corridor, connecting Surkhet to the final point of Dolpa, i.e., the border of Nepal and China, Marim, is 310 kilometers. This road is completed by reaching Marim, the final point of Dolpa, via Surkhet, Salyan, Jajarkot, and Rukum Paschim. Project Chief Kesari said that under this project, which is the shortest route connecting India, Nepal, and China, blacktopping work is being carried out by Yeti Builders from Pasagadh in Jajarkot Khalanga to Tallu in Nalgad-12. Similarly, out of two contracts for blacktopping the road from Tallu to Tripurakot in Dolpa, work has started on one, while the other has not yet started. According to Project Chief Kesari, CAB Nirman Jawalakhel has received a contract for 74 crore rupees to blacktop 42 kilometers of the road. According to the agreement made on October 2 last year, the work must be completed by October 1, 2085. 120 kilometers of road remain from Chhalsagad to Marim. The delay in the construction of the Dunai-Lasikyap section of the Bheri Corridor has directly hindered the construction of the road above it. After severe criticism, the contracted work has finally gained some momentum. Out of 100 kilometers from the district headquarters of Dolpa to Marim in Upper Dolpa, 25 kilometers of unpaved road need to be cut. Since the Nepali Army, which has taken responsibility for the upper part, cannot transport the necessary equipment without the Dunai-Lasikyap section being completed quickly, there is a compulsion to complete the lower section quickly. Currently, the cutting work within the 25-kilometer road section has been intensified. The project stated that out of the 75 kilometers from Lasikyap to Marim in the Upper Dolpa region, the army has already completed 40 kilometers of cutting. The contract for the construction of the Dunai-Lasikyap section was signed with Surya-Shreya-Shanti Devi JV on Chaitra 17, 2078, and its deadline is until Poush 16, 2082. Former minister Dhan Bahadur Budha said that if the Dunai-Lasikyap road below the section being constructed by the army is constructed promptly, it will be easier to construct the upper road. 'By naming it the Bheri Corridor and keeping it a national priority, and making it convenient for tri-country transit services, the Chinchu-Jajarkot-Dolpa tri-country route is being viewed with importance,' he said. The Nepali Army started this road in 2065 BS, and out of the 100 kilometers from Dunai to the Marim border with China, 40 kilometers on the Nepal side have been constructed, while the section from Dunai to Dho remains to be constructed. The project states that rocks need to be blasted in the 50-kilometer section from Dunai to Dho. Due to the lack of road facilities on the Nepali side for the citizens of the three rural municipalities of Upper Dolpa, which is connected to the country's northern border, they are forced to walk for up to a week to reach the district headquarters Dunai. Since Dolpa is a storehouse of medicinal herbs, it is expected that the completion of this tri-country route will increase the economic level of the entire country, including the Karnali Province.