By Our Correspondent

Phidim, Sept. 30: Construction work on the eastern section of the Pushpalal (Mid Hill) Highway, the longest highway, being developed as the national pride project, has picked up pace.
It is stated that work on the eastern section-- Bhojpur, Dhankuta, Terhathum and Pancthhar districts--will complete within the set deadline of 2022/23.
Together with the construction of the Pushpalal Highway, works on the Tamor Corridor, which is being built in the same area, are moving on smoothly.
Pushpalal Highway Office Phidim has been overlooking both the projects.
The total length of the highway that stretches from Chiwabhanjyang of Panchthhar to Jhulalghat of Baitadi is 787 kilometres, said Abhiman Mulmi, chief of the project.
Of the total length of the highway, track has been opened in 386-kilometres of its eastern section, he added.
The highway stretches 111 kilometres in Panchthhar, 141 kilometres in Terhathum and 134 kilometres in Dhankuta and Bhojpur districts.
Mulmli said blacktopping in most of the road sections from Chiwabhanjyang of Panchthhar to Chakhewa of Bhojpur has been going on in full swing.
So far, blacktopping of 25 kilometres road-section in Tehrathum, 20 kilometres of Tamor-Sankranti road section in Pancthar and four kilometers of Sakranti-Myanglung road section has been completed. The Asian Development Bank has funded to blacktop the road, he added.
In the fiscal year 2018/19, 22 kilometres of the 42-kilometre Bhojpur-Chakhewa road section was blacktopped.
Likewise, 22 kilometres of Hiley-Basantapur (Dhankuta-Tehrathum) road-section of the Koshi Highway and 40 kilometres of Jorshal-Ganesh Chwok (Panchthhar) road-section of the Mechi Highway had already been blacktopped. The blacktopping of the remaining road-section would be completed within a given time, he added.
The construction of the double-lane Mid Hill highway had begun in the fiscal year 2007/08, said Sibu Khatri, engineer of the project, adding that at the same time the opening of the 168 km Tamor Corridor track that begins from Mulghat, Dhankuta, along the banks of the Tamor River has reached the final stage.
“Only eight km of the track is left to open,” he added.
People of Taplejung, Panchthhar and Terhathum districts will benefit directly from the proposed Tamor Corridor. It will be the shortest route to reach the Terai from the hilly districts.