Myagdi. Myagdi: A road upgradation project connecting Muna, the centre of Dhaulagiri rural municipality in Myagdi, has come into effect. The road connecting Darwang, the centre of Malika rural municipality, to Muna, the centre of Dhaulagiri rural municipality, is being blacktopped at a cost of over Rs 520 million in partnership with gandaki state and federal government.

Gandaki State Assembly lawmaker Resham Bahadur Jugjali shared that the project related to road upgradation has entered the implementation phase after the Infrastructure Development Office selected the contractor company and signed the contract.

“A source of Rs 929.2 million was ensured for upgrading the Darwang-Muna-Dhorpatan road, which is considered an alternative to baglung section of mid-hill highway,” he said. Jugjali said that this is the largest and highest budget of the projects that have come to Myagdi through Gandaki State so far.

Bishnu Prasad Poudel, chief of the District-based Infrastructure Development Office, said that the contract was signed on July 27 after simran÷sield JV bid the lowest amount of Rs 528 million during the contract competition for the implementation of the project estimated to cost Rs 670 million excluding administrative expenses.

“The contract period of the project is 27 months with 50 per cent cost sharing between the federal and provincial governments,” he said, adding, “The federal and state governments have allocated 24 budgets in the current fiscal year and Rs 232.2 million has been allocated for the next fiscal year.” ’

Representatives of the contractor company have said that the initial phase of work for upgrading the road will start in the field of work within a few days. Last year, a contract was signed for blacktopping, slope and gravel of the four-km road from Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality-7, Dharapani to Jhindanda section. Ramsagar÷BS Dhaulagiri JV, the construction company of the project, has made about 55 percent physical progress, according to the Infrastructure Development Office.

Jugjali, who headed the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport Management of the province, had decided to include this road in the federal supplementary project in January 2080 BS as it is 70 kilometers short for the residents of Mangala Malika, Dhaulagiri rural municipality of Myagdi as well as Dhorpatan and East Rukum of Baglung to travel from Pokhara to Kathmandu.

“The blacktopping of the 24-km road connecting Beni to Darwang, the centre of Malika rural municipality via Mangala, has reached the final stage,” said Jugjali. ’

Dhaulagiri rural municipality chair Prem Prasad Pun said the road connecting Mareni to Jaljala and Dhorpatan via Muna was opened a few days ago. The federal government had allocated Rs 65 million in the current fiscal year for the road connecting Mareni to Jaljala Dhorpatan.