Pokhara folks want Ring Road construction be started pronto

POKHARA: Locals have started to pile pressure on concerned authorities to start the Ring Road expansion project in Pokhara at the earliest.

The project was initiated a decade ago by the District Development Committee (DDC), Kaski.

Despite discussions over the years, the committee has failed to start the construction of the road, locals claimed.

The Ring Road Construction Committee had already submitted a draft with budget and reformed alignment to the DDC for the construction, committee's coordinator Bishwo Prakash Lamichhane informed.

The committee had decided to involve the locals for the completion of the project without any disturbance, he added.

Though the proposal was ready, the committee has not done any homework of late to start the work, he said.

"As the state did not show any interest in the project, we have started to accumulate the votes of the people so that the draft can be presented before the National Planning Commission of the government."

The project was designed by the Department of Road and Silt Consultant last year.

According to their design, the road would be 74-kilometre-long which starts from Gagangauda along the Prithivi Highway to Lamgadi-Maniladanda-Bagmara Kholsa-Chainpur Fedi-Nirmalpokhari-Chuchiko Gaunda-Dumsadi.

As proposed, the highway would join Pokhara-Baglung Highway from the west of Bulaundi River and also the Rastra Bank Chowk from Chorepatan.

In addition, it would also extend from Milan chowk-Setimardi Bridge-Puranchaur-Armala Bus Park-Bat Cave-Bhalam-Manipal to join Bijaypur.

Then from behind the Bijaypur barrack, it would extend from Kalika chowk-Paiti-Dundako Mukh-Taalkhola Chowk-Begnas Bus Park-Saatmuhane-Malmuphant to Gagangauda.

Former DDC Chairman Punya Paudel said that one and all should pile pressure on the concerned authorities to kick off the project from next year.