Chhangru foot trail construction making speedy headway

By Lokendra Prasad Joshi,Darchula, July 6: The construction of a risky foot trail up to Chhangru in Byas Rural Municipality–1 of Darchula is progressing rapidly. Around 90 per cent of the trail that stretches from Dumling in Byas–2 to Chhangru in Byas–1 has already been completed.

The project to connect the remote villages of Changru, Tinkar and surrounding mountainous areas, began in May. According to Keshav Bahadur Pal, a contractor of the project Mission–Devhari JV, the trail is now in its final stage. 

“We began with the target of completing the construction by mid-July this year. Nearly 90 per cent has been completed so far," he said. 

Currently, the work is being expedited by deploying about 130 workers, divided into five teams. Special priority is being given to particularly difficult and previously inaccessible sections of the route.

Janak Dhami, one of the workers on the construction site, said that labourers are working tirelessly, drilling into the rocky terrain while suspended above the Mahakali River. According to him, the most challenging stretch at the Malpa cliff is almost completed and the trail is expected to be fully connected within a couple of days.

The 31-kilometre trail from Chhangru to Dumling is being constructed following the initiative of local leaders and communities, including former Constituent Assembly member and federal minister Ganesh Singh Thagunna. 

In response to demands from residents and the local government, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli instructed the federal government to allocate Rs. 55 million for the project. Although the trail was initially expected to open before the seasonal migration (Kuncha Sarne), legal constraints delayed the start. Consequently, the construction began through a formal tender process using the allocated budget. 

Former provincial assembly member Gelbu Singh Bohara, Ward Chair Ashok Singh Bohara, Yogesh Bohara, and other local leaders and social workers have also been directly involved in encouraging the workers and construction team.

According to Pal, work has already been completed in several locations, including Malpa Bhir, Apikhola, Ghatibagad, Thi, Tambaku, and Ghopte, while construction continues in a few remaining areas below Dopkhe. 

Due to the lack of access roads within Nepal, residents of Chhangru and Tinkar have long been forced to use Indian routes, paying extra and facing travel difficulties. 

Ward Chair Ashok Singh Bohora said that the construction aims to end this dependency and ensure convenient travel within Nepali territory. With around 200 families residing in Chhangru and Tinkar, locals are hopeful that a domestic route will now ease their movement.

A contract worth Rs. 50.6 million has been signed between Byas Rural Municipality and Mission–Devhari JV. The locals are optimistic, seeing the ongoing work on this hazardous route as a path to finally being able to travel from their village to the district headquarters within Nepal.