The government had proposed the Saljhandi-Sandhikharka-Dhorpatan road as a multi-year plan in 2065 BS to connect Nepal's only hunting reserve to Dhorpatan in Baglung. Only 38 percent of the work has been completed in 17 years.
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Bishnu Prasad Khanal, the Congress candidate for the post of member of the House of Representatives in the district, has said that he will give priority to roads to change the situation in the district after winning the election. He said that the Saljhandi-Sandhikharka-Dhorpatan road will be completed and the Sandhikharka-Gorusinghe road connecting the district headquarters will be upgraded to a dedicated double lane. He said that the work will also be completed with first priority on the Gachhe-Bhaluwang road connecting the provincial capital Lumbini and the Rampur-Kapurkot road. The government had put forward the Saljhandi-Sandhikharka-Dhorpatan road as a multi-year plan in 2065 BS to connect Nepal's only hunting reserve to Dhorpatan in Baglung. Only 38 percent of the work has been completed by the time it reaches 17 years. Of which, only 24 kilometers have been blacktopped. A budget of Rs 390 million was allocated in this fiscal year. The budget has been increased by Rs 27.5 million by transferring funds.
This road, which is on the 15-kilometer mid-hill highway, is 117 kilometers long. Of which, 5 kilometers are in Rupandehi, 20 in Palpa, 70 in Arghakhanchi, 40 in Gulmi, and 50 in Baglung. Dhorpatan in Baglung, where you can visit the Himalayas, hills, and Terai in a single day and Nepal's only hunting reserve, has been underfunded in recent years. Due to which, the work has been delayed.
'Dhorpatan is a tourist road that will change the situation of Arghakhanchi,' Khanal said, 'I will add budget to it, complete the construction soon and start regular vehicles. Foreign tourists will come and go on this road to hunt Dhorpatan, and since the hills of the hilly districts including Arghakhanchi have the potential to become tourist destinations, employment can be created for hundreds of youth through tourism and agricultural enterprises.'
Hundreds of devotees from home and India come to visit the Sandhikharka-Gorusinghe road connecting the district headquarters and the religious tourist destination Supadeurali Temple. He said that it will be made double-lane to make it easier for tourists to travel.
He also said that the Gachhe-Bhaluwang road, which will make it easier to travel to and from Deukhuri in Dang, the capital of Lumbini Province, will be completed. The construction of this road has been ongoing for 26 years. Due to lack of sufficient budget, not a single project has been completed for years. Currently, a budget of Rs 30 million has been allocated for this road. After the completion of this road, it will be easier for the people of Gulmi and Palpa to travel to and from the provincial capital.
A road connecting Rampur in Palpa, Panini Rural Municipality in Arghakhanchi, and Bhumikasthan Municipality via Pyuthan to Kapurkot in Salyan is also under construction. It is considered a short distance to transport the produce of the hilly districts to the Terai and Butwal. It is believed that this will make the journey between the hills and the Terai easier and shorter.
