Dhulamme and Hilamme Yatra for 30 years, further delay in upgrading after state government took charge of national highway

The Karnali state government started the road upgrading work in the financial year 2078/79 due to the federal government's delay in the 13 km Baddichaur-Khammagade road under the Madan Bhandari highway. 

Federal MP (Member of the House of Representatives) Dikpal Kumar Shahi's Anak/Jaidevi JV has taken over the road for Rs. On June 14, 2079, the company took over the construction of the road to complete the work by the end of June 2081. 

But almost 9 months after the deadline for road construction, last Monday (February 26), the Cabinet meeting gave permission for tree cutting. Due to the fact that the tree felling permit was not received, the company has been given a one year extension until June 12, 2082. 

The federal government has given permission to cut nearly 800 trees on 10.31 hectares of National Forest land located in Barahtal Village-2, 5, 6 and 7 and Panchapuri Municipality-3. Under the highway, there are 158 km of roads under Surkhet section. 

Out of which the federal government is doing the work on roads other than the 13 km road. "It was wrong for the state government to take over the work of the federal project, the contractor showed the problem of cutting trees and did not work outside the forest area," said civic leader Hari Prasad Adhikari.

In the year 2051, the road where the track was opened, the constituency of the state government is being blacked out through the strategic road. Yagya Bahadur VC, former parliamentarian of Karnali province, said that when the central project was taken over by the state government, there was more problem in road construction. "Due to the delay in road construction, the residents of West Surkhet had to suffer from mud and dust for a few more years," he said. According to Birendra Shahi, engineer of the directorate, almost 80 percent of the black sheet work has been completed in sections other than this section. He informed that 12 km of Bhedabari-Botechaur-Rakar section, 8 km of Dhuliabeet-Bangesimal and 30 km of Bangesimal-Baddichaur road have been paved.  He says that

company has received payment of almost 5 crore rupees so far. "The road being built by the central government was started without being handed over to the province, tree felling permission and EIA report approval were also stuck for a long time," he said, "there is still a problem in removing water lines and electric poles." 

According to Ramesh Subedi, spokesperson of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development of Karnali Province, the road design of Madan Bhandari Highway is 12 meters wide. "Currently, the excavated road is 6 meters, there are trees below 6 meters," he said.

MP Shahi's company is now run by his son Sandesh Shahi. He accused the state government of neglecting the work of settling disputes at the workplace. Lok Bahadur Rana of Panchapuri-2 said that due to the upgradation of this road, which was dug in 2032, even when there is normal rain, one has to travel to Hilamme and at other times to Dhulamme. 65-year-old Rana complained that the road opened when he was young was not upgraded.