Malika Rural Municipality Paves Pathways in Bim and Dandagaun

Myagdi. The pathways in the lower part of Bim in Malika Rural Municipality-7 and in Dandagaun have been paved. The unpaved footpaths within the settlements have been concreted to beautify the villages. Mangali Pun of Dandagaun said that with the construction of paved pathways, the problem of mud and dust has been resolved and the village has become clean and tidy.

"Walking on inclines and declines used to be slippery, making it difficult to carry loads. The paved pathways have made the village clean and convenient for the locals," she said. Pun added that the problem of walking through wet bushes during the monsoon has been resolved, and the risk of snake bites has decreased.

More than 200 households in Bim and Dandagaun have benefited from the construction of the pathways. It has become easier for children and the elderly to travel and walk around. The pathway construction, which began in the fiscal year 2080-81 with the support of the Gandaki Provincial Government, was completed in the current fiscal year.

In the first year, 425 meters of pathway were constructed in Bim's lower village and 250 meters in Dandagaun with a budget of Rs 3 million allocated through the Infrastructure Development Office. In fiscal year 2081-82, a 290-meter drain and a paved pathway on top of it were built in the lower village with a budget of Rs 1 million, said Suman Bogati, engineer at the Integrated Service Office.

According to him, 550 meters of pathway have been constructed in Dandagaun in the current fiscal year with a budget of Rs 1 million allocated through the Integrated Service Office. The pathway has been concreted with stone paving on flat sections and stairs on inclines. The pathways are 1.10 to 1.20 meters wide. Motorcycles and bicycles can also be ridden on the pathways, said Bhalaram Jugjali, chairman of the Dandagaun Pathway Construction Committee.

The muddy pathways used to be a problem during the rainy season and dusty in dry weather. Dhanakumar Jugjali of the lower village said that the concreted pathways are easy to clean. He mentioned that the budget of Rs 500,000 allocated through the Integrated Service Office for pathway construction in the lower village in the current fiscal year could not be implemented due to the increase in the price of fuel and construction materials.

Bim and Dandagaun are settlements at the foothills of the religious and tourist sites of Malika and Prabhu Chela Dhuri. The picturesque view of Gurja Himal can be seen in the background of Bim and Dandagaun, where tourists and devotees visiting Malika and Prabhu Chela reside. Resham Bahadur Jugjali, a member of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly and a local resident, said that the budget was allocated to pave the footpaths within the village with the aim of making it a model for cleanliness.

Jugjali, who is also the former Minister of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport Management of the Provincial Government, informed that the roads within the lower village and Dandagaun settlements will be blacktopped under the Khara-Bim road upgrade plan, which is currently being upgraded.