The construction of the 118-km Jajarkot-Dolpa road connecting many villages of Jajarkot and Dolpa districts has gained momentum of late.

The road, which is being constructed by the Nepal Army, has already been opened up to Karwagad in Tripurasundari-5, Dolpa. Construction of another 8 km stretch will connect Dunai, the district headquarters of Dolpa, to the rest of the country by road.

More than 500 workers from the surrounding areas have been employed for the road construction. Lieutenant Colonel Bishwobandhu Pahadi said they had completed the construction of 110km of the road. “The construction work is moving on a war footing to break rocks in the section between Karwagad and Dunai these days,” said Pahadi, adding that the vehicles have started plying the road up to Gotamkot in Rukum.

 “The construction of the road has always been a big dream of people living in Dolpa. We hope that our district will be developed once the road is built,” said Lanka Bahadur Rokaya, a local of Mudkechula Village Council-1.

The Army expects the vehicles would reach up to Khadang in Dolpa by the end of this fiscal year. People living in Dolpa have to reach Tribeni in Rukum (the border point of Rukum and Dolpa districts) to catch a vehicle.

Om Bahadur Budha, chief of Tripurasundari Municipality, said people will be benefited if the jeeps could ply the road up to Dunai by next Dashain. Once completed, the Jajarkot-Dolpa road will significantly reduce the distance to China and India. The government has planned to include the Jajarkot-Dolpa road in Bheri corridor to connect with China and India.