Darchula-Tinkar road construction project moving at slow pace

By Lokendra Joshi,Darchula, Feb. 14: Darchula-Tinkar road construction project, which is being undertaken by the Nepali Army, has failed to take the desired pace.

In the first six months of the current fiscal year, only 720 metres of new track of the road has been opened while only 480 metres of the road has been upgraded.

The Nepali Army is constructing the road in the area of Byas Rural Municipality-2 from Tusharapani to Tambaku through the Dumling area. 

Although the army has set a target to open three kilometres of new track and upgrade two kilometres of the road in the current fiscal year, no satisfactory progress has been made. 

Locals are not happy when the minimum target of road construction has not been met this fiscal year. 

According to the Nepali Army, road construction is underway in Phatanggad, Paltedhar, Kothdhar, Phulchimdhar, Tallo Dumling, Katha Dumling, Aktungti and Tambaku of Byas Rural Municipality-2. 

The government has allocated a budget of Rs. 141.9 million in the current fiscal year for the Darchula-Tinker road project, but only Rs. 30 million has been spent in the last six months, according to Nepali Army Spokesperson and Brigadier General Krishna Prasad Bhandari.

Bhandari, information officer of the Nepali Army, said that out of the total 79 km long Darchula-Tinkar road, 10.5 km of track was opened last year and  1.5 km of the road was upgraded. 

A team including Physical Infrastructure Development Minister Prakash Jwala and Lawmaker Dilendra Prasad Badu, who reached Sunsera for on-site monitoring of Tinker Road on December 21, 2023, gave instructions to build the road at a fast pace with the promise of allocating sufficient budget for the project. 

However, the number of soldiers, workers and budget have not been added to expedite the Tinker road construction works.

According to the army, they have set a goal to take the road construction up to Malgaun by the new Nepali Year (2081)

The government has not been able to mobilise sufficient budget, machines and manpower so the work has not progressed. 

The compressor machine could not be delivered to Kaljukshetra, said the Nepal Army. 

According to the army, the construction of three kilometres of new track and the upgrading of two kilometres of road will be met according to the annual target, although the physical progress is minimal in the first six months of the current fiscal.