‘Far away now, I love you so much...’

This sentence written by Balendra Shah, who had reached the Far West during the election campaign, went viral on social media at the time. After a visit to the hilly district, a participant asked him to open his glasses and show his eyes at a public meeting held in Dhangadhi, when he said, ‘You don’t have to look at your eyes, look at your work.’

Then he repeated it again, ‘Far away now, I love you so much... I love you.’ The meeting venue was buzzing with hooting and clapping. Even though it was a short statement, it had raised great hopes among the citizens of the Far West. The locals had grown confident that the Far West, which had been kept away from the state’s priorities for years, would now come under the center’s attention, would get justice for development, and would open doors of opportunity. Balendra Shah is now the Prime Minister. There is a majority government. Now the Far West is once again waiting, with the expectation that that hope will be transformed into reality or not .

In this context, the attention of the people of the Far West is currently focused on the Fapla Cricket Ground in Dhangadhi, the construction of which has not been able to proceed due to lack of budget . All the initial preparatory work for the Fapla International Cricket Stadium and Sports Village project, spread over an area of ​​about 260,919 square meters, has been almost completed . Land acquisition, preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) have been approved .

Recently, this project has also been included in the 'Project Bank' of the National Planning Commission . According to Subash Shahi, Chairman of the Fapla International Cricket Ground and Sports Village Infrastructure Construction Development Committee, the project is now fully ready to enter the construction phase . 'Land acquisition, DPR and EIA have all been completed . The project has also been placed in the bank . Now we just have to wait for the budget,' he said.

According to Shahi, the committee has also decided to manage the trees within the project area, proceed with the multi-year contract process and take it forward as a national pride project. ‘Now the project is in the stage of moving from paper to the construction phase, but due to lack of budget, the work has not been able to move forward,’ he added. The goal is to develop this project not as an ordinary stadium but as a world-class sports village.

In the first phase, a parapet with a capacity of 25,000 spectators will be constructed, and in the second phase, it will be expanded to 50,000. Once fully completed, it is believed to be one of the most important cricket stadiums in South Asia. A state-of-the-art water drainage system will be installed on the ground, which will make it possible to conduct games within minutes after heavy rain. There will be modern dressing rooms, indoor practice halls, communication centers, VIP rooms, digital scoreboards and quality spectator facilities.

Dhangadhi is known as the ‘city of cricket’. There is an extraordinary passion for cricket here. From domestic competitions to national games, the enthusiasm of the audience has been remarkable. Many players from the Far West have reached the Nepali national team. Four players from this region also performed well representing Nepal in the recently concluded Twenty20 World Cup. This clearly shows how deep the roots of cricket are in this geography.

The FAPLA project is considered strategically very important due to its geographical location and proximity to the Indian border. Dhangadhi, which is a 4-6 hour drive from India's major cities of Lucknow and New Delhi, has significantly increased the commercial and tourism potential of this project. Since India is the world's largest cricket market, a large number of spectators are likely to come from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. This is expected to fill the stadiums, increase ticket sales and ensure economic income.

Dhangadhi can become a ‘weekend gateway’ for Indian tourists after the construction of FAPLA, says Padam Vikram Singh, President of Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATA) Sudurpaschim, saying, ‘Every sporting activity here will directly benefit the hotel, restaurant and business sectors.’ Even now, a four-star and a five-star hotel are in the final stages of construction in Dhangadhi.’

He said, ‘It is believed that this will accelerate the overall tourism industry by attracting private investment.’ The proximity to the border will facilitate logistics management and necessary materials can be brought from India quickly and at a low cost.’ He said that the possibility of developing Dhangadhi as a ‘cross-border shopping hub’ is being seen.

Access to India’s developed road and rail network will provide easy travel opportunities for foreign tourists. International tourists arriving in Delhi or Lucknow can visit the Far West in a short trip, so inbound tourism is expected to increase. The FAPLA project is seen as a means of 'cricket diplomacy' in Nepal-India relations. However, although the issue of cooperation in the project was raised during the visits of the then Prime Ministers of Nepal to India, no concrete agreement has been reached so far. Another strong point of FAPLA is Dhangadhi Airport. As it is one of the most important runways in the country, large aircraft can land here, which will ensure easy access for foreign teams, spectators and tourists.

According to local sports enthusiast Prakash Bista, if FAPLA is completed, its impact will not be limited to the sports sector. 'Employment will be created during the construction phase. After operation, hotels, transportation, trade, tourism and service sectors will be operational. Dhangadhi can develop as a new economic center,' he said. According to him, it will attract youth to sports and create a new environment of opportunity and discipline. The Far West Provincial Government has also prioritized FAPLA. Preparations are underway to take it forward as a pride project of the province. But such a big project is not possible with the provincial budget alone.

Far West Chief Minister Kamal Bahadur Shah has expected budget allocation from the federal government. ‘Let the federal government allocate the budget, we will do our best to help,’ he said. During the election, all parties including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that contested from this region had made the FAPLA cricket ground their main election agenda. They were committed to taking forward the construction of FAPLA after winning. Recently, Education and Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel, along with MPs elected from this region Ananda Bahadur Chand and KP Khanal, visited FAPLA. Minister Pokharel also expressed his commitment that FAPLA is a priority of the government and that he will take all possible steps for budget allocation. Kailali 5-way Nirvatich MP Anand Chand says, FAPLA is our priority, we are constantly urging all the concerned bodies for budget allocation.

Sudurpaschim is still considered one of the backward provinces. Industrial development is low, there are no large industries and factories, road infrastructure has not been expanded as expected. Due to the lack of well-equipped hospitals, patients with complex diseases are still forced to reach India or the capital Kathmandu. Due to extreme unemployment, thousands of youth are forced to reach various cities in India for employment. The situation of having to go abroad to make ends meet remains the same. In the hope of getting rid of this situation, Sudurpaschim had significantly supported the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the last election.