KATHMANDU: Minister for Physical Infrastructure Sunil Lamsal has visited Mustang to inspect the Beni–Jomsom–Korala Road Project, a national pride project linking Nepal’s north and south.
Lamsal reached Lete in Thasang Rural Municipality-3 on Friday via the Beni–Jomsom road. He was accompanied by Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Khadak Raj Paudel, along with officials from the ministry and various government departments.
According to Tejaswi Sharma, chief of the Korala Road Project, the inspection aimed to assess the project’s construction progress, tourism promotion potential, and the need for additional infrastructure.
During the visit, the delegation held discussions on infrastructure development along the Jomsom–Korala section in the presence of former House of Representatives member Prem Prasad Tulachan.
Minister Lamsal instructed the concerned authorities to immediately initiate the tender process for the construction of five bridges planned along the Korala road section.
Project Chief Sharma also briefed the minister on plans to further upgrade the Jomsom–Kagbeni road section and the ongoing blacktopping works on the Kagbeni–Chhusang stretch.
The government has allocated Rs 3.15 billion for the upgrading and blacktopping of the 50-kilometre road section from Chhusang to Ghami under the Korala Road Project.
Officials also informed the inspection team that the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) for the road up to the Korala border point has already been completed, paving the way for the upgrading and blacktopping works to move forward.
The ministerial team also inspected roads, bridges, and other infrastructure in the project area.
Local residents urged the government to adopt long-term protection measures, warning that erosion by the Kaligandaki River, floods, and landslides continue to damage roads, bridges, and other infrastructure along the Korala route every year.
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