Concrete trekking route constructed with people’s mobilization

BENI (MYAGDI): A narrowed passage amidst a dense forest. Trouble for two-way mobility along the main road from the village.

Local folks were facing difficulty in collecting grass and firewood. Even more there was a big challenge to take lifeless bodies to the cremation sites of Kaligandaki.

The structure of the deteriorating trail road connecting Raghuganga Rural Municipality-2, Machhakharka, Myagdi with Kunautaghat now has changed.

The old, congested passage has turned to an easy access route with the construction of concrete trekking route. The trail route from Kunauta to Machhakharka along the Beni-Jomsom road section has been constructed through mobilization of in-kind assistance of the folks.

The construction of trekking route had started since October first week.

Local people have offered their in-kind donation for the construction of trekking route while non-resident Nepali are also providing cash support for the same.

The campaign that started with a tractor of sand, concrete and 20 sacks of cement has collected cash assistance over Rs 1.3 million, informed campaigner Balkrishna Katuwal.

“We initiated the people’s mobilization campaign for the trekking route when the government level support for the same was not realized”, he shared.

The trekking route construction plan has become a common campaign now. Locals have put their efforts to make it an exemplary case of development works through people’s mobilization.

Local people have donated their in-kind labour ranging from one to twenty days.

With this, a kilometer portion of the concrete trekking route has been constructed. Remaining one kilometer is yet to be constructed.

Local youths are busy constructing the concrete trekking route along the forest area. They are seen carrying construction materials such as concrete, sand and cement to the site.

The breadth of the trekking route has been expanded to 1.5 kilometers in a way to ease people’s mobility.

“It gave me a different joy to engage my voluntary labour in the construction works for public welfare”, commented Prem Bahadur Katuwal, 56, who has been working on the route for the past 22 days.