A Day’s Travel Time to Gurja Reduced to Just Four Hours

Nyawali Chhantyal, the headmaster of Janakalyan Secondary School in Gurja, Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality-1, had to walk all day to reach the municipal center in Muna for work. The return trip would take at least three days. But after the Lulang-Gurja road became operational up to Deurali, he was able to reach Muna within just four hours.

“The travel time, which once took a full day, has now been reduced to just four hours since vehicles started operating up to Deurali on the Lulang-Gurja road,” said Chhantyal. “It has made transportation of daily necessities, construction materials, and timely access to hospitals much easier.”

Gurja, located in a geographically challenging and remote area, has seen a reduction in travel time. The area, home to the minority Chhantyal and Dalit communities, was the only ward among the six local bodies of Magdi that lacked road access. While the road reaches up to Latrawang, vehicles such as jeeps, tractors, and motorcycles have started operating up to the 3,300-meter-high Deurali ridge, despite the snow. Once the snow melts, it is expected that vehicles will also operate on the next 5 kilometers of road leading from Deurali to Latrawang.

Before the road was constructed, it took 3-4 hours of uphill walking to reach Deurali from Lulang. Now, the journey has been reduced to just 30 minutes, according to Modi Man Shreepali, a resident of Deurali. “Previously, people from Gurja had to carry the sick on a stretcher to the hospital,” he said. “Many lost their lives on the way because they couldn’t reach the hospital on time.”

Although the road hasn’t yet reached Gurja, the increased vehicle access up to the middle of the road has already significantly reduced the amount of time residents must walk. Around 10 more kilometers of road needs to be built to reach Gurja. According to Resham Pun Magar, Vice Chair of Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality, a contract was signed last year for the construction of a 9.5-kilometer road from Lulang to Latrawang.

“The federal, Gandaki provincial government, and Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality allocated Rs. 2 crore each for the Lulang-Gurja road project, and a contract worth Rs. 3.8 crore was signed with Rara Tenjin Construction,” said Pun Magar. “The construction work for the road has recently been completed with funding from all three levels of government.”

In addition to the road, various infrastructure projects, such as gabions, machinery, and retaining walls, have been constructed in the area. The road to the municipal center in Muna has already reached Lulang in Ward No. 2. In the fiscal year 2022/23, the rural municipality and Gandaki provincial government invested in the construction of a 4.4-kilometer road from Lamsung to Lulang. According to Lokendra Rawal, head of the technical branch of Dhawalagiri, the distance from Muna to Latrawang is 25 kilometers.

The plan for the road construction from Latrawang to Gurja is in the contracting process with a budget of Rs. 70 lakh, shared by the federal government and the rural municipality. Rawal also mentioned that the provincial government has allocated Rs. 50 lakh for the improvement of the Lulang-Deurali section of the road. Additionally, with a budget of Rs. 1 crore allocated by the federal government, work has begun on retaining walls, grade improvements, and road paving at the Mahal Tal cliffs in the Bangkhola area.

Another Rs. 1 crore budget plan has been approved for the Lamsung infrastructure development project, which is expected to invite tenders for the construction of a 25-meter-long motorable bridge in the Darchhola area, located on the road connecting Gurja.

Gurja, a settlement comprising 265 households, has a population of 1,505. The Chhantyal and Dalit communities, who came to Gurja for mining, have settled here historically. Due to the lack of road access, transporting food and construction materials used to be costly, often relying on mules, horses, and porters. To transport the sick to the hospital, a helicopter would have to be chartered. With the new road infrastructure, life in Gurja is expected to become much more convenient for residents, and there is also hope for an increase in domestic tourism.