Baglung Section of Saljhandi-Dhorpatan Road Gravelled After Five Years

Baglung. Gravel has been completed on the 22-kilometer Burtiwang-Falleghor section of Baglung, which is part of the national priority project Saljhandi-Dhorpatan road. The construction of this road, which connects Terai and hills, was completed after five years with the deadline extended four times as it could not be completed on time. Swachhanda-Ombuddha JV, Kathmandu, had received the contract on November 5, 2078 BS with the work to be completed within thirty months. Although gravel was to be completed by Baishakh 2080 BS, the deadline was extended several times due to delays by the construction company. Even after the deadline was extended for the third time last Mangsir, the work was not completed, and the deadline was extended for the last time for one month until the end of Jestha. The Saljhandi-Dhorpatan Road Project's Information Officer Pariksha Poudel informed that the road section has been upgraded at a cost of Rs 25,61,31,166. According to her, the travel on the Dhorpatan-Falleghor section has become organized after the gravel was completed. She said that the project could not be completed on time because the construction company did not work as expected from the beginning. "Although it was delayed, the road was gravelled. The road was in limbo for a long time, and now the condition of the road is good," Poudel said, "If the road could be blacktopped immediately after the gravel is completed, the road would be even more organized. But there is no budget for that. The tender process for blacktopping will proceed once the budget is arranged from the department." This road, which started from Rupandehi in 2068 BS, connects to Dhorpatan in Baglung via Sandhikharka, Palpa, and Gulmi. While work is progressing rapidly in Rupandehi, Arghakhanchi, Palpa, and Gulmi, progress in the Baglung section has not been as expected. Thaman Bahadur Gharti of Dhorpatan Municipality-9 said that travel from Burtiwang market to Falleghor has become easier after the road was gravelled. According to him, it used to take about two and a half hours to cover the 22-kilometer distance, but now the journey can be completed in 45 minutes. He said that the road improvement has made it easier for both tourists coming to Dhorpatan and local residents. "Until last year, the condition of this road was very bad. It has improved a lot now. If the contractor wants, the work can be done," Gharti said, "Local people suffered a lot because the road was not built for so many years. Tourists who came for sightseeing also faced problems. If the government now blacktops it, the face of this region will change." Dhan Bahadur Kayat (Kalyan), Deputy Mayor of Dhorpatan Municipality, said that with the road becoming organized, it will be easier to market agricultural produce such as apples, potatoes, and simi produced in Dhorpatan. He said that the road improvement will also help in promoting tourism as the arrival of tourists in Dhorpatan, Bukipatan, and Jaljala areas has been increasing in recent times.