Passengers and drivers have been inconvenienced by the damage to the main road connecting the tourist capital to Pokhara.
The risk to transport operations has increased due to potholes appearing at various places on the Pokhara-Baglung section of the Mid-Hill Pushpalal Highway.
The main road connecting the tourist capital Pokhara has been damaged, causing hardship to passengers and drivers. The problem of potholes is more on the roads in Kaski and Parbat sections, said Dammar KC, a driver of an electric microbus running from Pokhara to Baglung.
'It is not possible to drive easily and freely at the moment, the road has collapsed in places, the road itself has collapsed in some places, and there are huge potholes in some places,' he said. 'The risk of accidents is also high when the main road, which is heavily used by vehicles, is damaged.' KC said that if the road is not repaired soon, there will be a problem of dust in the winter. He said that the road needs to be repaired immediately after the rainy season, but there is still no sign of progress in the work.
Lokesh Poudel, Sub-Engineer of the Road Division Office, Pokhara, said that the road collapsed and potholes appeared in many places during the last rainy season. 'This year, the road has deteriorated in many places, the contract process for regular maintenance has also been completed,' he said, 'The maintenance work will be carried out in two sections, from the foothills of Kaski to Nayapul and from Nayapul to Maldhunga in Parbat.'
Shivalaya Construction Service has been awarded the contract for the maintenance. Although the construction company had prepared to start the maintenance work before Dashain and Tihar, there have been some delays due to the rains in between, the festive holidays, etc., said Sub-Engineer Poudel. He said that the office will take necessary initiatives to speed up the maintenance work immediately. 'Since the budget for maintenance is low, it seems impossible to build roads in all places.' He said, 'The work will be done on time as long as the budget allows.'
