Sorry state of roads makes life miserable in Baitadi

BY GOKARNA DAYAL,Baitadi, May 14; The Ganjari-Thalakanda road, which is the lifeline of Chawgadha area, one covering the largest area among the 10 local levels of Baitadi, has been lying overlooked for three decades. The construction works of 45km road section of Ganjari-Thalakanda-Dhungadh road, which started on December 14, 1995 has been ignored for generations. 

Patients in Baitadi often have to die prematurely because they cannot receive proper treatment on time due to the lack of road transportation. Pregnant women are also facing difficulties to reach hospitals for delivery. Sometimes they are rescued by helicopter and taken to hospitals in Nepalgunj, informed Dhana Dhami, vice chair of Sigas Rural Municipality. 

Meen Bahadur Chand, a local of Dhungadh, complained that many political leaders had come and promised them road and electricity in Chawgadh area during every election. But, they forget the promise after winning the election, he added. He said that the construction works, which started when he was in grade 10, would not be completed by the time he retired as a teacher. 

He said, “I had a dream of riding a car three decades ago. But, today I am in doubt that even my grandchildren will get to ride a car.”

The construction work of the road section connecting Dudilakhan, a paved road of Jaya Prithvi Highway linking Baitadi and Bajhang, to Thalakanda has completed only nine kilometres up to Gajari Bazzar. Making matters worse, even that nine kilometres is not in a usable condition. The locals have to travel with difficulties due to heavy dust in the winter and muddy road during the rainy season. They complained that the vehicles running on the road had been charging arbitrary transportation fare at their whim because it has not received road permit and the fare has not been decided. 

Gopal Singh Dhami, a local, said that the construction of the Patan-Pancheshwor road of Baitadi and Sillegada road, which started along with the Ganjari road, had been blacktopped. Even though the provincial government had opened a track from Ganjari to Ghouladi, there was no road connecting the rural municipality office in Garje. The locals have to visit the office on foot, he added. 

He said, “The governance system of the country has changed, but the situation in Chawgadha has not changed. Locals here are deprived of road and electricity.” They live a difficult daily life carrying loads by themselves every day and have to depend on traditional oil lamp to read and write. 

Hari Singh Dhami, chairman of the rural municipality, said that the rural municipality had built unpaved roads in some wards. Due to insufficient budget, it had requested the provincial government to complete and blacktop roads in Gajari, Thalakanda, and Dhungadh.

Baitadi Infrastructure Development Office, which looks after the road infrastructure of Baitadi and Darchula districts, informed that they had not received budget for Gajari-Thalakanda-Dungadh road.