MYAGDI: Upgradation of the Dharapani-Takam-Jhindanda road section of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality in Myagdi district has achieved more than 70 percent of its physical progress, the project officials said.

This road is considered a strategically priority road project in Myagdi district given its multiple connectivity access to the local community people. Currently, the construction company is working to blacktop and gravel the road along with the road expansion. Likewise, the Dharapani–Jhindanda road section is an alternative route to the Baglung section of the Mid-Hill Highway.

Chief of the Infrastructure Development Office, Senior Divisional Engineer Dr Mahendra Baniya, said that the construction company had won the contract bidding at Rs 146.1 million with a promise to complete the project within two years. The contract agreement is expiring in six months. The construction company has also pledged to complete the project by the end of this fiscal year 2082/83 BS.

The construction works of road expansion, and building drains and retaining walls along the 6 kms road have reached the final stage.

The local residents have shared their excitement as the road upgradation works gained momentum. Chairman of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-7 Ashok Khatri said that the villagers here are happy with the progress in the road construction task.

Under this road project, a separate contract agreement worth Rs 588.053 million has been agreed for asphalt blacktopping for the four kilometres Darbang–Dharapani and Machhim–Muna sections, said Gandaki Province Assembly Member Resham Jugjali.

The project agreement was signed in June with a contract period of 27 months. Jugjali said that the road is equally important since it will cut the travel distance short by almost 70 kilometers for the residents of Mangala, Malika and Dhaulagiri rural municipalities in Myagdi district and Dhorpatan in Baglung, and Rukum Purva to travel to Pokhara and Kathmandu.