MYAGDI: The Beni-Simkhand road in Myagdi district has been blacktopped after 16 years of construction.

Blacktopping the road has benefited local people in various ways. With this, the around 2 hours travel by foot has now reduced to only 25 minutes, said Bhuvan Buda, a local resident of Malika-5.

This has benefited people of Mangala, Malika, Dhaulagiri Rural Municipalities in Myagdi district and of Dhorpatan and Dhamja of Baglung district, he said.

“This has helped make supply of goods and transportation easier. We have also got rid of dusts and mud,” said another local Hari Krishna Paudel of Ranabang.

Trade in the areas is also expected to flourish as a result. Constructed in 2063 BS, 12 km of the total 27 km road has been blacktopped.

The blacktopping has taken place in the area where there is not a problem of landslide and land accusation dispute, said Guru Datta Adhikari, acting chief of the Beni-Simkhand Infrastructure Development Office.

Contracted in 2074 BS at the cost of Rs 450 million, the project handover to the provincial government took place in 2075 BS.

Similarly, in the second phase, Biruwa-Caravan JV has won the contract to blacktop eight km section under the road from Lampata to Darabang at the cost of over Rs 225 million.

However, the contractor has abandoned the project since one year due to various reasons, it has been said.

RSS