PAANCHTHAR, March 11: A large number of vehicles from remote areas of eastern hills have been reaching the capital city via the Mid-Hill Highway faster than through the East-West Highway.
The Mid-Hill highway connects Kathmandu with Paanchthar, Taplejung and Terhathum districts of eastern Nepal. The road passes through the mid hills and ends on Nepal-India border at Chiwa Bhanjyang in Paanchthar district and Indian state of Sikkim.
Although the construction of the Mid-Hill Highway that began some six years ago is yet to complete, pressure of vehicles plying the highway is on the rise. The under construction highway have made it possible to shorten the distance between Kathmandu and eastern hill areas, using different roads including BP Highway in Sindhuli and Kavre districts, according to Shaligram Regmi, Senior Divisional Engineer at the Mid-Hill Highway (Terhathum-Panchthar section).
The Mid-Hill Highway will serve as an alternative route for passengers traveling to and from the Tarai region.
One way vehicular traffic resumes along Prithvi Highway
Thousands of local commuters had earlier depended on the east-west highway whenever they had to travel to the capital and western part of the country.
“The highway has not only made their travel easier but also brought them closer to the capital,” Regmi told Republica.
According to him, the operation of the road has also contributed to lessening traffic congestion on the East-West Highway. Public vehicles for the long route are yet to ply along the highway; the ones reserved by commuters are on rise. Vehicles passing through the highway often have to stop for a while due to the ongoing construction work.
Although it is full of dust, traveling along the mid-hill highway is much easier for local commuters, he claimed.
The Mid Hill Highway is one of the national pride projects. The total length of the highway between Kathmandu and eastern Chiwa Bhanjyang in Paanchthar district is 679 km.
It is expected that the blacktopping of the highway with two lanes would be completed by 2075 BS, Regmi informed.
However, there is no smooth progress in the construction of the highway in different sections due to negligence of the contractors, according to Bishnu Kafle, senior divisional engineer of the highway (Bhojpur-Khotang section).
He informed that construction of 10 bridges out of total 15 have already completed in the Bhojpur-Khotang section. Likewise, six out of total eight bridges alomg the Paanchthar-Terhathum stretch has already been constructed so far.
Meanwhile, locals of mid-hills are eagerly waiting for the completion of the Mid-Hill Highway as they hope it would raise their standards of living, according to Dil Kumar Begha, a local of Changthapu.
“It has a direct impact on our lives,” Begha told Republica. The construction of the highway has also slowed the migration of the hills folks to the Tarai in search of better life.
Furthermore, the construction of the highway has encouraged farmers to produce cash crops like ginger and cardamom. According to them, they can now fetch a good price for their products by selling them in the markets in the capital and Tarai, which has been possible through the mid-hill highway.
