Rampur-Arunkhola road section along the Kaligandaki corridor road is in a poor condition, which has caused major hardships for both vehicles and passengers.

The track connecting Rampur of Palpa to Arunkhola of Nawalparasi East was opened some 15 years ago, but delays in upgrading the road have left it in a sorry state. “The road has been badly damaged in several stretches between Mityal and Arunkhola. It is quite difficult for smooth operation of transportation in the Gurubhanjyang area,” said Ram Bahadur Saru, a local of Mityal.

To connect the hilly areas of Palpa with the East-West Highway at Arunkhola of Nawalparasi East, the government started constructing the corridor road along the Kaligandaki river. The distance between Rampur and Arunkhola is 47 km, the shortest route to link Tarai with the Rampur area of Palpa. People have to travel around 110 km if they use alternative roads to reach Arunkhola.

Although the road construction began some 50 years ago, the passage opening was completed only 15 years back. The Rampur-Arunkhola road has been upgraded in various stretches, but the 26 km stretch between Baledanda and Jalukeghat remains incomplete due to the negligence of contractors and other authorities concerned.

“We face difficulties taking patients to hospital and transporting our agricultural products to markets because of poor conditions of the road. The government continues to ignore our hardships,” said Padam Bahadur Khamcha, a local of Mityal. “We have to pressure the government for the timely upgrade of the corridor road,” he added.

The road upgrade work is underway along the Rampur-Arunkhola section by dividing the project into two phases. “The work has been delayed due to negligence of the construction companies. We directed the contractors to expedite the work and complete the project on time,” said Durga Gautam, information officer at Road Division Office in Palpa.