Myagdi. MYAGDI: The Darwang-Muna-Dhorpatan road section linking Muna, the centre of Dhawalagiri rural municipality, has been upgraded.

A plan to blacktop the road linking Darwang to Dhawalagiri rural municipality’s centre Muna has started in partnership with Gandaki state and federal government.

Resham Bahadur Jugjali (Subin), a member of the Gandaki Province Assembly elected from Myagdi 1 (B), said that the contractor has signed the contract with the Infrastructure Development Office to widen the road at Dhawalagiri rural municipality-7, Mamachhim in the first phase.

“Rs 929.2 million was secured for upgrading the Darbang-Muna-Dhorpatan road, which is considered an alternative to the Baglung section of the Mid-Hill Highway,” he said, adding that the project would blacktop and slope the Darwang-Dharapani (seven kilometres) and Machchhim-Muna (four kilometres) of oxphalt technology. ”

Equipment and labourers have been mobilized since last week after a technical team from Infrastructure Development Office and the contractor conducted a joint survey. Jugjali said that this is the biggest and highest budget project brought to Myagdi from Gandaki Province so far.

The contract was signed on June 26, 2082 with the contractor company with the lowest amount of Rs 528 million during the tender competition for the implementation of the project, which was estimated to cost Rs 670 million excluding administrative expenses.

As it would be 70 kilometers long for the locals of Mangala Malika of Myagdi, Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality, Dhorpatan of Baglung and East Rukum to travel to Pokhara-Kathmandu, Jugjali had decided to include this road in the federal complementary plan in 2080 BS during the leadership of the Ministry of Eastern Infrastructure Development and Transport Management of Gandaki State.

Bishnu Poudel, chief of the federal and provincial governments, said that the contract period of 27 months will be 27 months. The federal and provincial governments had allocated Rs 24 crore in the fiscal year 2081/82 and Rs 232.2 million has been allocated for this project in the current fiscal year 2082/083.

A contract agreement was signed for the blacktop, slope and gravel of the four-kilometer road from Dharapani of Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality-7 to Jhindanda in the fiscal year 2080/81 BS.

According to the Infrastructure Development Office, the construction company has made 60 percent physical progress.

The work of blacktopping the 24-km Beni-Mangala road linking Malika rural municipality centre Darwang has reached the final phase. The 18-km Beni-Tolabang section has been blacktopped. The road is expected to transform the infrastructure and economic sector of Dhawalagiri Rural Municipality located in geographically remote and remote areas. Ward No. 3 Chairperson and spokesperson of the rural municipality, Devendra Roka, said.

The road was completed in 2071 BS. The rural municipality has repaired the road which is in a dilapidated condition and made arrangements for the operation of traffic. He said that the locals are happy after the road upgradation started. Roka said the rural municipality would coordinate and facilitate the construction of the road on time.

Vice-chair of Dhawalagiri rural municipality Resham Pun Magar said the road linking Jaljala and Dhorpatan via Mareni via Muna was opened last fiscal year. “We have urged the construction company that signed the contract agreement with the Road Division for the repair of the Muna-Khoriya-Mareni-Jaljala road last year,” he said, adding that the road from Beni to Muna would be easier for the locals as well as tourists visiting Dhorpatan via Jaljala. ”