Kaligandaki Corridor being blacktopped

BY GANESH PAUDEL,Parbat, May 29: The mountain section under the Kaligandaki Corridor, a national pride project connecting North-South, has made 35 per cent physical progress. Out of the 55 km road from Setibeni to Armadi in the mountain section of the corridor, 19 km has been blacktopped.

Most of the corridors are in the process of being upgraded and blacktopped, while the rest of the track is being opened and foundation work is being done. As the road is paved, the southern part of the mountain is easily accessible to the headquarters.

According to Shankar Paudel, project manager of the Gaudakot-Ramdi section of the Kaligandaki Corridor project, 3 km of the 22 km road from Ranipani to Phalebas Dhik is yet to be paved. Similarly, a 3-km road from Bhir in Khawar and Pangrang to Dhik is to be blacktopped.

The project informed that 7-km road from Setibeni to Ranipati is about to be paved and the road at Khabar was being paved. 

Paudel said that though there were some problems in working on the road between Bhir of Kurgha and Dhik of Phalebas, they were under preparations to cover the section from Karnas Khola to Kurgha Bhir within mid-July. 

According to the project, in order to complete the work quickly, many construction companies have been tendered to work in sections. Pacific Jaljala J.V. has started the paving work on the 7 km road from Setibeni to Ranipani in Parbat and the project will be completed in a few days. More than 65 per cent has been completed in this section. Two construction companies are working hard to cover the 22-km-long road section from Ranipani to Phalebas Dhik.

Mahalaxmi Pandey and Company J.V. have done the work of the 6-km road from Ranipani to Khabar Bhir in that section. Swachhanda World Wide Om Buddha J.V. is working on upgrading and tarring 16 km of the road section from Khabar Bhir to Phalebas Dhik. According to Paudel, they had a target to complete the road section from Setibeni to Phalebas within the current financial year.

Meanwhile, progress has not been made as expected in the part from Phalebas to Armadi. The section from Dhik to Modibeni has been opened and some upgrading work is being done. Similarly, there was a delay in the section from Modibeni to Armadi due to the problem of working in Bhir located in Modibeni. The construction of the motorable bridges in Mirmi, Modibeni and Setibeni had been completed, informed Paudel.