Even after 25 years of the Martyrs' Trail, which was opened through three years of labor in Tarakhola Rural Municipality, the locals have had to take a risky journey due to the lack of upgrading.
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The 'Martyr's Road' from Rijalchowk to Bhatkhane Danda to Tarakhola, which was opened by public labor from 2057 to 2060 during the armed conflict, has not been upgraded for 25 years.
The residents of Tarakhola Rural Municipality in Baglung had opened the road track by donating labor for three years. Due to the lack of upgrading of the nearly 40-kilometer road from Rijalchowk on the Mid-Hill Highway, the residents of Tarakhola Rural Municipality are suffering from the pain of going to and from the hospital for medical treatment. Since this road is not up to standard, the locals have to travel long distances around Galkot.
When traveling the nearly 60-kilometer road, they are forced to pay a one-way fare of 800 to 900 rupees from the local district headquarters. In the evening, one-way from the district headquarters and in the morning, one can only travel here by jeep.
Due to the dilapidated road, only jeeps ply on this road at great risk. Due to the lack of a road from Rijalchowk to Tarakhola via Bhatkhane Danda, the goods produced in Tarakhola have not been able to find a market easily. The section of the Martyrs' Road from Kathekhola Rural Municipality-4 to Tarakhola Rural Municipality-1, 2 and 4 is more difficult. There are many potholes in this area. The rural municipality has not planned to upgrade this road. Rural municipality chairman Dhan Bahadur BK said that despite repeated requests to the federal and provincial governments, no budget has been received. "It is not possible to blacktop the road without the federal or provincial budget," BK said.
During the armed conflict, 26 people were killed in Tarakhola alone and 2 are missing. The road, dug by locals with their labor, has been named Martyrs' Road in their memory.
Even when former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal was the Prime Minister, the people of Tarakhola had repeatedly taken the initiative for the budget. In 2074 and 2079, the then Maoist secretary Devendra Poudel won the elections in this area. Chandra Bahadur Budha from Tarakhola also became a member of the Provincial Assembly and a minister. A Maoist leader was elected chairman of Tarakhola Rural Municipality twice. However, locals complain that the road named after Shahid has not been built. ‘Many villages where work was done later than ours have already been blacktopped, we are always suffering,’ said local Rishiram Roka, ‘The leaders did not work, the state did not see it, we did not know.’
Rural Municipality Chairman BK complained that despite the agreement to build it from the federal government’s budget, the contract is being delayed. The 40-kilometer road from Rijalchowk to Tarakhola is known as Shahid Marg. It has been 7 years since the DPR for blacktopping this road was prepared. But as the overall contract could not be signed, locals have been forced to travel on the road for years at great risk. This road connects Tarakhola to Myagdi.
In the 2075 BS DPR, it was estimated that all roads could be blacktopped at a cost of 1 billion. In the first phase, the rural municipality had taken the initiative to make it navigable for 12 months, while the Gandaki Province government was taking a multi-year contract, but this road was also cut in 2077 BS when the budget and plan were cut.
Tarakhola produces the largest amount of potatoes in the district. Locals complained that they faced difficulties in transportation due to the lack of roads. Locals produce red thread, bhang, Nepali paper, radish, gedagudi, and red mushrooms in Tarakhola and send them to the market. But due to the lack of roads, farmers have to suffer a lot during the rainy season, and due to the lack of easy transportation even in winter, the locals complained that farmers are not able to get their prices.
The rural municipality chairman BK said that it was opened from 2057 to 2060 due to continuous labor donations. Dahal, along with former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, Finance Ministers Janardan Sharma, Barshaman Pun, and then Speaker Onsari Gharti, had participated in dozens of programs in Tarakhola and assured that the road would be built.
Former chairman Prakash Gharti says that the file submitted by the rural municipality to the Gandaki Province and the federal government has not yet been implemented. ‘The rural municipality had planned the ring road, of which 25 kilometers were from Rijalchowk to Trishuli,’ Gharti said, ‘The plan is to connect the remaining section from Galkot.’ When both roads were built, the ring road would be built and would also connect with the district headquarters and Galkot Municipality. The municipality had also planned to separate vehicles from Tarakhola to Butwal via Galkot and to Pokhara via Rijalchowk.
Assistant Administrative Officer Jit Bahadur Sunar said that the plan to upgrade the road by making it at least 10 meters wide and the target of making it blacktop has not been met. Apart from the structure built at a cost of Rs 20 million last year and Rs 15.1 million last year, there has been no other progress on the Shahid Marg. Some sections towards Kathekhola have been upgraded with the said budget. The rural municipality had widened the road at a cost of Rs 40 million in 2074/075 with its own investment.
