Mugu, May 22, 2016: It has been 10 years since the project started, but just 16km of the 85km road connecting Mugu district headquarters Gamgadhi and Tibet has so far been built, thanks to the contractor’s slow pace.
Despite an agreement between the Chinese government and Nepal to facilitate trade through the Mugu-Tibet route, there has been very little progress towards this direction. The government has approved Rs40 million contract for this fiscal year for the project, but contractor Mainachuli Sidhasai has been reluctant to increase the pace of work citing ‘hard rocks that have been hindering blasting’, according to Narayan Dutta Bhandari, chief of Road Division Office.
However, the contractor’s representative Dipendra Shahi said the works have been halted due to the delay in the delivery of the equipment to cut rocks from Kalikot.
According to the office, Rs30.77 million has so far been spent for constructing the 16km section.
Frustrated with the slow progress, the locals have demanded mobilisation of the Nepal Army. “We were happy that the road is being built, but the slow progress is frustrating,†said Ram Singh Aedi of Rowa. The locals expect besides trade, tourism around the Rara Lake would grow if road connectivity between Mugu and Tibet is ensured.
Naresh Bhandari, former lawmaker from Mugu, accused the government of ignoring the development of one of the poorest districts of the country.
