By Lokendra Joshi, Darchula, Oct. 5: Nepali Army (NA) has opened a track at Ghantibagar of Byas Rural Municipality in Darchula district, which now links Chhangru and Tinkar of the same municipality with Khalanga, the district headquarters.

A two meter wide track of 550 meter in length was constructed by cutting rocky steep slope at Ghantibagar. In absence of the track, locals of Chhangru and Tinkar were compelled to go round the way through India to reach their homes from Khalanga.

NA handed over the newly constructed track to the State government on Monday amidst a programme here.

Nirmala Kumar Thapa, NC Sudurpaschim Division chief, handed over the horse-trail to Trilochan Bhatta, Chief Minister of Sudurpaschim State.

It took nearly four months for the NA to construct the path in the rocky steep slope at Ghantibagar, Byas Rural Municiaplity-1.

Santosh Ballave Poudyal, NA spokesperson, informed that the cost for the track was Rs. 10.8 million and that 65 NA personnel and 40 locals had worked daily for four months to open the track that passes along the Mahakali River bank.

Responding to the locals' demand that the path at Tambaku steep slope in the same route was still narrow and risky, Sudurpaschim State Chief Minister Bhatta assured that the state government would allocate budget for widening path at Tambaku if the federal government did not allocate any budget.

CM Bhatta had reached there to inspect on-site the newly constructed Ghantibagar track.

CM Bhatta thanked NA for opening the track at a risky and very tough rocky slope area.

A track was opened in the same route some four decades ago. However, snowing triggered landslides and floods of the Mahakalir River had swept away the track erasing even its signs. Locals of Chhangru and Tinkar had been using paths that goes through Dharchula of India, across Khalanga, to reach their homes and return to Khalanga on foot.

Chhangru lies some 72 km away from Khalanga and 120 families of Chhangru and 70 families of Tinkar were having difficulty for their seasonal migration. They come down to Khalanga in winter and move up during summer. Ghantibagar lies some 60 km away from Khalanga.

A NA personnel had lost life in course of the track construction.

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