Baglung. Baglung Municipality-9 — Infrastructure construction has been expedited at the ‘Blue Hill’ located in Baglung municipality-9, which is the pride project of the municipality. The construction of physical infrastructures worth Rs 25 million is going on at a rapid pace with the aim of being ready by mid-July 2018.

Before this, Baglung Municipality has already spent Rs 70 lakh on land management, toilets and sattal construction. The municipality had named Doy of Baglung as a tourist hub with the view of two dozen mountain ranges and Baglung bazaar.

Construction of infrastructure to develop Blue Hill as a religious and tourist destination has been started since last year. The detailed project report (DPR) states that the infrastructure worth Rs 250 million will be constructed.

Last year, the first phase of the project cost Rs 7 million and the second phase of the current fiscal year was Rs 25 million, said Raju Thapa, ward chair of Baglung-9, Tityang. According to him, a two-storey concrete building is being constructed to house the 20-feet Shiva statue to be constructed in Blue Hill.

The municipality has been allocating budget to transform Doy’s Blue Hill into a Blue Hill. This year, construction company Qualicat Renewable Energy is working in full swing to construct Shivamurti with infrastructure worth Rs 2.5 crore. According to Baglung municipality, the objective is to attract tourists by developing religious infrastructures in the natural area.

The Baglung Municipality had last year prepared a detailed project report (DPR) for the development of tourism infrastructure by naming Doyko hill as Blue Hill as a project of pride of the municipality.

Baglung-9 ward chair Thapa said the municipality has been investing after the municipality named Doyko hill as ‘Blue Hill’. “Infrastructure construction has been started with huge investment in the municipality, we have aimed to attract religious tourists and nature lovers by constructing Shiva statues on the hills. ”

A detailed project report (DPR) of Rs 245.62 million was prepared to develop Blue Hill as a tourist destination. Last year, the construction of the land, the construction of the wall, the construction of the satal and the construction of toilets was completed. The DPR states that additional infrastructure including picnic spot, meditation centre, visual observation centre, gym hall, temple and parking lot will be constructed in the area.

Baglung municipality mayor Basanta Kumar Shrestha said the municipality is investing a big amount to attract domestic tourists to the Blue Hills. Stating that the municipality has been investing heavily from the internal budget to develop the municipality as an excellent destination, he expressed the belief that religious tourists would come to the Blue Hills.

“Doy, which has tourism potential within the municipality, is naturally beautiful and green. We can see the Himalayas and Baglung Bazaar in front of our eyes. The construction of concrete structures to attract tourists by linking nature and religion has gained momentum. At present, 16 pillars have been erected at once”, Mayor Shrestha said, adding, “We have named Blue Hill to attract domestic and foreign tourists.” One can enjoy Baglung bazaar along with two dozen mountains including Dhaulagiri, Machhapuchhre, Nilgiri and Annapurna from the lush green hills. ”

The Blue Hill has gained popularity after the construction of tourism infrastructure at an altitude of 2,200 meters above sea level. According to the detailed project report, it will take time for the project to be completed.