Ring Road project in limbo

POKHARA, May 9: It´s been five years since the Pokhara Valley Ring Road project was initiated. Much to the dismay of Pokhara´s denizens, they might have to wait five more years before they get to avail of the beltway´s benefits. How badly has the project stalled? With funds not flowing in the way it should, the ring road does not even look like a circular track yet. [break]



The 77-km mega road-- which is supposed to pass through seven Village Development Committees (VDCs), apart from Pokhara Sub-metropolitan City and Lekhnath Municipality-- has seen no progress after a three-km track was created in Bhalam VDC four years ago.



The project, which has a budget of one billion rupees, has seen just Rs 7.5 million come its way; and worryingly, over the last five years, the amount pouring in has been reduced to a trickle and even that trickle is now turning into mere drops: Rs 4 million was spent on the first year; Rs 2 million the next; Rs one million the year after that ; and finally-- the drops dried up at Rs five hundred thousand. All that money that has been garnered so far has been spent on culverts, causeways and drains. These structures do not even constitute the ring road´s skeleton. For example, the road needs eight bridges, structures that gobble up significantly more resources. To really have the project up and running more cash is needed.






"But we have nowhere to turn to for funds," says Narahari Baral, a local development officer of Kaski district. "Local resources will not be enough to see the project through. Either the government should invest more or we need to find some donor agencies."



The ring road was conceived to check the flow of migrants flocking to Pokhara city in search of better lives and to expedite the development of villages around the city through which the road is supposed to pass: Hemja, Puran Chaur, Lama Chour, Bhalam, Kahu, Lekhnath Municipality and Bharatpokhari. The initial plan had everyone hopeful about better days.



But it´s one thing to plan and another to keep planning without ever getting down to business. Every year, talk of the project dominates the meetings of the district council, but every year, the issue of the lack of funds comes to the fore, and the work to be done is deferred. Unless donor agencies can be found, or unless the government becomes more generous things won´t change.



"Even if we spend the whole budget of the district on the project, it will take around five years to complete the project," Baral says.



The only thing going for the project is the people´s enthusiasm for it. To do their bit to help the project along, the people who will lose their land that will be used to make way for the ring road have even decided to waive the compensation they will receive. But the government has not reciprocated by stepping up to the plate.