KASKI, Sept 25: The main road leading to Ghandruk, the gateway to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC), a major tourist destination, has been reopened after being closed for two and a half months.
The Annapurna-10 Kilo section of Nayapul-Birethanti-Ghandruk road was blocked by landslides on July 4. Shoviyat Khadka, head of the Infrastructure Development Office, said that the road has been fully operational since Tuesday.
The locals were facing problems when the road was blocked by the landslide. Due to the closure of the road, the tourism activities in the village and the direct transport link from Pokhara to Ghandruk were affected.
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The road has been repaired with the financial support of Kaski Infrastructure Development Office under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport Management of Gandaki Province. Khadka said that the road maintenance was carried out with an investment of Rs 2.725 million including Rs 2.5 million from the Infrastructure Development Office and Rs 225,000 from local volunteer labor.
Gautam Gurung, the ward chairman of Annapurna Rural Municipality-10, said that vehicles can now easily go to the Ghandruk bus park, resolving a long-standing obstruction. The road has been opened especially at a time when the arrival of tourists is increasing. Tourism entrepreneur Amrit Gurung said that the problem has been resolved as the villagers and tourists had to face problems in transportation.
The Nayapul-Birethanti-Ghandruk road section spans about 17 km long. The provincial government has allocated a budget of Rs 15 million in the current fiscal year to further construct and upgrade the Nayapul-Birethanti-Kuldanda-Ghandruk-Uri road section.
Ghandruk is the gateway to the world famous ABC. During the tourist season, hundreds of tourists reach ABC daily through Ghandruk. Recently, Ghandruk has become a ‘hub’ of tourism. Domestic tourists come here throughout the year to enjoy the Gurung culture and enjoy the scenery.
