Phidim, January 21:

Land prices shot up by ten-fold in Memeng after the construction of Jorpokhari-Khunga-Ektin green road in Panchthar district.

With the arrival of vehicles, the locals also got access to market. “Till over a year, price of a ropani of land was around Rs 10,000 but now it hovers around one lakh rupees,” said a local trader Somnath Kafle.

Ektin VDC is just 48-km from Phidim bazar but lack of motorable road had made it difficult for the residents to reach Jorpokharai and Gopetar markets to sell agri-products like paddy, maize and millet.

As the road has connected them to the market, the buyers themselves come to them to buy the agri-produce.

The Human Rights Consciousness and Development Centre Nepal undertook construction of the Jorpokhari-Khunga-Ektin-Memeng rural green road with financial assistance from the Infrastructure programme of the Netherlands Development Association (SNV) in 2005. Later, the survey of 33-km road was also conducted up to Memeng-9 Thana.

A local trader of Khunga in Ektin VDC 3 Dil Bahadur Jawegu said that the newly opened rural road has made it possible for him to earn a decent living.

Gokul Baniya said that people were already buying land at the rate of one lakh rupees per ropani for business purposes. “The moment a new house comes up, people come there asking for rent,” he added.