Dodhara Chandni. The work on the Postal Highway has reached its final stage. An agreement was signed in 2073 Falgun for the construction of a 62-kilometer road in three sections from Doke Bazaar in Kanchanpur to Daiji in Bedkot Municipality.
Although construction was delayed due to disputes in some parts, 44 km of the road has been blacktopped. Mukunda Lamichhane, Chief of the Postal Highway Planning Office, Dhangadhi, informed that the construction of one of the three sections of the highway has been completed.
Only the repair and painting work remains in the first section. The blacktop work of the other two sections is also in the final stage. “Due to some disputes in the Kakatta area of Belauri, the construction of the 88-meter road of the second section has not been completed,” he said. “The construction company is not in a position to work because there are disputes at the said place.”
11 kilometers of blacktop work is left in the third section of 22 km. The first package of 20 km from Dokebazar to Belauri was constructed at a cost of Rs. 364.7 million. The second package of 20 km from Belauri to Beldadi costs Rs. 414.1 million. The third section of the postal road is 22 km from Beldadi to Daiji.
Citizens of the southern region were forced to travel to Mahendranagar, the headquarters of Kanchanpur, via Dhangadhi via the Indian route. The government has provided relief to the citizens of this area after constructing a 62-km postal road from Doke Bazaar to Daiji in Bedkot Municipality.
There are four municipalities in the southern part of Kanchanpur, namely Punnawas and Belauri Municipality, Laljhadi and Beldadi Rural Municipality.
All four municipalities have an open Indian border to the south. On the other hand, due to the Shuklaphanta National Park, the citizens of this area did not have easy access to Mahendranagar. Even until 2062/63, due to the inconvenience of transportation, the citizens of this place used to travel to the Mahendranagar district headquarters by foot.
‘When the transportation service was closed during the rainy season, we were forced to travel on foot from Daiji in Bedkot to Beldadi.’ Local Santosh Bista said, ‘The footpath at that time was later converted into the postal highway.’
Teacher Kebash Bista says that after the government built the postal highway as part of its plan to achieve economic prosperity through economic and social development and trade facilitation by expanding the road network, it brought about economic and social changes.
‘We had to go through India to travel to Mahendranagar.’ He said, ‘The construction of the postal highway has brought a lot of relief to the citizens here.’ He said that even after the Postal Highway came into operation, it has contributed significantly to the economic and social development of the area.
‘Now, farmers here can sell their produce easily. Vehicles come to buy milk from Dhangadhi market in the morning.’ He said, ‘There is also easy access to health and education. Dhangadhi can be reached in an hour through the Postal Highway. This highway is a ‘lifeline’ for this area.’
According to him, after the construction of the Postal Highway, agricultural products here have found a market. Access to the road network has become much easier for the citizens here. Locals here say that the value of land here has increased after the construction of the Postal Highway. According to Surat Malla, a local here, before the construction of the postal road, the land here was bought and sold for four or five lakh rupees.
After the construction of the highway, it is being sold for up to two million rupees. ‘At that time, we suffered a lot, but now we are happy with the road.’ He said, ‘After the local government came, the roads inside have also started being blacktopped.’
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