Pokharebagar-Chitre road being blacktopped

Blacktopping has started on the Pokharebagar-Chitre road that connects a popular tourism destination Ghodepani.

Local people are elated with the initiation of blacktopping on the road after around 15 years since the opening of the route.

It may be noted that the then National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) had awarded a contract for the construction of the around 18.54-km road linking Pokhara Bagar of Annapurna rural municipality and touristic area Ghodepani via Dhar-Khiwang-Shikh-Falate of Myagdi some five years ago.

After the expiry of NRA, the contract amounting to over Rs 279.1 million was awarded to Motidan-Jayamata JV for the completion of the project. The NRA responsibility was transferred to the Local Infrastructure Development Office, Kaski under the Urban Development Ministry.

Project Engineer Bibek Poudel informed that blacktopping has started after completion of the tasks related to road expansion, drainage and wall construction, placement of base and sub-base.

‘Placement of the prime board is taking place on the Khiwang-Shikh road section. It would then be done on the Dhar section and Falate-Chitre section’, he said, adding, ‘the task of blacktopping would be done adopting DBSD technology’.

The project that was signed almost three years ago has witnessed good progress and is completing soon. The blacktopping has kept their hope alive that the road construction would be completed, said Suren Gurung, a local of Shikh. The road would ease the movement of around 2,500 households of Shikh and Dhar and hundreds of tourists coming to the areas every day.

The Pokahrebagar-Chitre road which is considered the pride project of Myagdi is equally important for agriculture and tourism besides transport service.

Annapurna Chair Dam Bahadur Pun said the up-gradation of the road would believably promote local market and tourism in the area.