298 km track of Mahakali Corridor opens

BY GOKARNA DAYAL,Baitadi, June 24: Out of the 413 kilometres of the Mahakali Corridor, which extends from Brahmadev in the southern part of Kanchanpur to Tinkar in the northern part of Darchula via Jhulaghat in Baitadi, approximately 300 kilometres of track have been opened. 

The corridor connecting the borders of China and India holds significant trade importance, and is regarded as a milestone in the development of Sudurpaschim Province.

Of 413 kilometres of total road, a 334-kilometre section is being constructed by the Federal Road Supervision and Monitoring Project Office, which has so far completed 281 kilometres of it.

 The Nepali Army is building the 79-kilometre rocky section from Tusarpani in Darchula to Tinkar. The Army has transported excavators to Changru via helicopter to carry out construction work. So far, the Nepali Army has excavated 17 kilometres of road and has constructed only 1.8 kilometres this year.

According to Project Information Officer Ram Chandra Jaisi, the project spans a total of 334 kilometres, with the distance distributed as follows: 11 kilometres in Kanchanpur, 58 kilometres in Dadeldhura, 144 kilometres in Baitadi, and 121 kilometres in Darchula. Of this, 281 kilometres of track have been opened.  

He stated that 90 per cent of the work has been completed.

In the current fiscal year 2024/25, an additional 20 kilometres of track is expected to be opened. The remaining construction work in Jogbuda, Bhageshwar of Dadeldhura, Rodidewal cliff in Pancheshwar of Baitadi, and Kansani Ghat in Dasharathchand Municipality is being carried out through tenders. Officer Jaisi also informed that approval has already been obtained for the use of explosives in rocky areas like Lali in Darchula and some places in Baitadi.

Initially started in 2009 under the name of Darchula–Tinkar Road, the project was renamed Mahakali Corridor in 2020 after its extension to Brahmadev in Kanchanpur. So far, Rs. 3.69 billion has been spent to open the road track, with Rs. 1.52 billion in payments still pending. The estimated total cost for completing the corridor is Rs. 13.49 billion.

Blacktopping begins despite limited budget

Information Officer Jaisi said that a budget of Rs. 229.7 million has been allocated for the upcoming fiscal year 2025/26 for the Mahakali Corridor. While Rs. 410 million was spent in the current fiscal year.

Despite the low budget, blacktopping work has started alongside track opening. Of the 281 kilometres of opened track, 3.4 kilometres in Dadeldhura and 1 kilometre in Darchula have already been blacktopped, and one bridge has been completed. A total of 35 bridges have to be constructed along the corridor—five in Kanchanpur, 10 in Dadeldhura, 10 in Baitadi, and nine in Darchula.

This road, connecting four districts of Sudurpaschim Province—Kanchanpur, Dadeldhura, Baitadi, and Darchula—will reach Pillar No. 1 at the border with China’s Taklakot. Besides facilitating trade, it will also provide a shorter route for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage.

The Mahakali Corridor will connect not only the four districts of the province but also act as a tri-nation corridor between Nepal, China, and India.

 Pancheshwar Rural Municipality Chairman Gorkha Bahadur Chand said that the corridor will contribute to the economic, social, cultural, tourism, and educational development of the four districts of Sudurpaschim Province.

The corridor will extend from Brahmadev in southern Kanchanpur along the Mahakali riverbank, passing through Parshuram Municipality and Bhageshwar Rural Municipality of Dadeldhura, Shivanath, Pancheshwar, and Dogdakedar Rural Municipality and Dasharathchand Municipality of Baitadi, and Lekam, Malikarjun, Mahakali, and Duhun Rural Municipalities of Darchula, finally reaching the Tinkar border point in Byas Rural Municipality.