Tarakhola residents suffer as Shahid Marg remains unupgraded in Baglung

BAGUNG: Residents of Tarakhola have been facing persistent hardship due to the failure to upgrade the Shahid Marg road, more than two decades after its track was first opened.

The road, constructed through community labor during the armed conflict between 2057 BS and 2060 BS, connects Bihun Rijalchowk of Kathekhola Rural Municipality-5 to Bhatkhanedanda, the administrative center of Tarakhola Rural Municipality. Despite being listed under a National Pride Project, the road remains narrow, poorly maintained, and risky for daily travel.

Locals say the condition of the road severely affects mobility and access to essential services. Tam Bahadur Rokamagar of Tarakhola Rural Municipality-2 said that transporting patients to hospitals is especially difficult. “It is disheartening that a road once built with basic tools has still not been upgraded, even with modern machinery available today,” he said.

Another local, Tika Bahadur BK, complained about high transportation costs due to the road’s poor condition. Although the distance to Baglung Bazaar is around 40 kilometers, he said passengers are forced to pay over Rs 1,000 due to the difficult terrain.

“It takes more than three hours to reach the market. If the road were improved, the journey could be completed in just one hour,” he said, adding that better road conditions would significantly improve livelihoods by easing the transport of goods.

The most challenging stretch lies between Kathekhola Rural Municipality-4 and wards 1, 2, and 4 of Tarakhola Rural Municipality, where the road is narrow and filled with potholes. Although some sections saw upgrades worth Rs 20 million in fiscal year 2080/81 and Rs 15.1 million the following year, much of the road remains in poor condition.

Vice-chairperson of Tarakhola Rural Municipality, Bhim Bahadur Roka, acknowledged that upgrading the road requires substantial investment, which exceeds the rural municipality’s limited budget. He said repeated requests have been made to provincial and federal governments for funding, but adequate support has yet to be secured.