Federal Government Budget for Tinkar Road Insufficient, Locals Disappointed

Dhangadhi. Although the federal government has kept the Tinkar road in Dharchula as a 'special priority' in the budget for the upcoming financial year (2083/084), locals are disappointed due to the insufficient budget size. Locals in Byas Rural Municipality were happy after the Tinkar road was mentioned as a special priority in the budget speech. However, locals who were expecting something to happen now that this road, connected to the future of Byas, has caught the attention of the new government, have become disappointed within two days, said Janaksingh Dhami of Byas Rural Municipality-2. 'This time the government saw our hardship, we thought the road would be built, but the budget allocated was small,' Dhami said. Byas Rural Municipality Vice-Chairperson Binod Singh Kunwar also says that although the government called it a special priority, they were disappointed to learn that only 12 crore 99 lakh rupees have been allocated for the Tinkar road this year. According to him, this amount is very small compared to what the Nepali Army demanded and the nature of the work. The Nepali Army, which has been entrusted with the construction of the road, has been demanding a budget of at least 30 to 35 crore annually for breaking hard rocks and transporting machinery by helicopter. 'We thought that since it was given special priority, something would be addressed, but we were disappointed to hear that only 12 crore 99 lakh has been allocated,' he said. Vice-Chairperson Kunwar stated that no visible progress can be made with such a small amount. He said that the government's approach has once again startled the residents of Byas. Kunwar insists that the government has deceived them by using the phrase 'special priority'. He complains that the government has not provided a budget that can actually be used for work. The future of Byas is linked to this road. Due to the lack of a road, Nepal has already lost some of its geography and citizens. The villages of Kuti, Napi, and Gunjhi can be taken as living examples of this. Until 2018 BS, the people of those villages paid taxes to Nepal. They had Nepali land ownership certificates. However, due to the lack of road connectivity and state presence, those villages gradually came under India's control. Today, the people there have become Indian citizens. Local Bir Budhathoki says that the locals of Changru and Tinkar in Byas-1 are also troubled by the same concern. 'If the Tinkar road is not built on time, it cannot be said that the future of the remaining Changru and Tinkar will not go the same way,' he said. The tragedy for the people of Byas is the compulsion to seek permission from India to travel from one place to another within their own country due to the lack of a road. To reach Byas-1, Nepali citizens have to use Indian territory and for that, an Indian 'pass' or permission is mandatory. The Nepali government built a mule track costing 5 crore 50 lakh rupees to go there, but it is so risky that people are afraid to travel on it, risking their lives. The hardships they face when moving from the district headquarters Khalanga, where they stay for six months in winter, to the village in Baishakh (moving to Kuncha) are indescribable. According to Byas Rural Municipality Vice-Chairperson Binod Singh Kunwar, it has not been possible to displace the trolley due to the lack of a road. Even now, locals in Dumling of Byas-2 are forced to cross the Mahakali river using a 70-meter-long trolley. This fate does not seem likely to change until the Tinkar road gains momentum. This road, under the Mahakali Corridor, aims to connect to the Tinkar pass in China. If this road is built, the shortest and safest route for visiting Kailash Mansarovar will open. Valuable herbs and tourist areas like Api Himal here can greatly support the country's economy. Although the track has been opened in many parts of the 334 kilometers under the Department of Roads, the hard rocky section in Darchula has always been stalled due to budget constraints. The army has started work by transporting machinery, but with a budget of 12-13 crore per year, it is unknown when this 413-kilometer-long road will be completed? Vice-Chairperson Kunwar says that this question is troubling the residents of Byas.