Vehicles reach Dumling village in Darchula for the first time

Darchula: Vehicles have reached the remote Dumlinggaun area of Darchula for the first time following road construction carried out by the Nepali Army.

The army, which is working on the Tusharpani–Kothedhar–Tinkar section under the Darchula–Tinkar road project, has opened a track up to Kalju in Byas Rural Municipality-2 in the current fiscal year 2082/83. With the upgrade of a 1.4-kilometer stretch from Tusharpani to Dumling, vehicles are now able to operate up to Dumling.

According to the project chief and chief soldier of the Darchula–Tinkar road project, the 12-kilometer road from Tusharpani to Dumling, considered the zero point of the road, was inaugurated on Saturday by driving a vehicle to the village in the presence of local representatives and stakeholders.

Locals welcomed the arrival of the vehicle, the Nepali Army, and people’s representatives with flowers. They have also requested the regular operation of transport services along the route.

Local resident Kaushila Budhathoki said that daily life has become somewhat easier after the road reached the settlement, adding that the earlier dependence on Indian roads has now ended. Similarly, Purnima Budhathoki of Mallo Dumling noted that the arrival of vehicles has made it easier to transport daily essentials and construction materials.

Out of the total 79-kilometer stretch from Tusharpani to Tinkar, the Nepali Army had completed 22.15 kilometers of road track by the end of the last fiscal year 2081/82. With the latest progress, vehicles can now reach Dumling. The army has spent Rs 3.74 billion on the project from fiscal year 2077/78 to 2081/82.

In the current fiscal year, the government had initially allocated Rs 10 million for road construction and Rs 53.1 million for masonry tools and housing construction. However, after the current government reallocated Rs 40 million from other headings for road construction, the Nepali Army was able to extend vehicle access up to Dumling.

The Nepali Army has been working on the project since fiscal year 2077/78. In the current fiscal year, it has also opened a new one-kilometer track downstream from Chhangru, according to Project Chief Major General Katwal.