Road on Nepal side damaged in Darchula

The Nepali Army constructed a mule track by setting up its camp at Maurabhel area of Byas Rural Municipality last year. The mule track linking Chhangru Tinkar in Byas Rural Municipality-1 was disrupted in course of India's construction of the road linking Mansarovar via Lipulek. The road on the Nepal side got damaged and blocked when a whole chuck the size of a hillock fell into the Mahakali river in course of the Indian construction.

India, time and again, continued setting off explosives on the other side of the Nepali Army camp across the Mahakali river while constructing the road. The Nepali Army had been constructing the mule track on the Nepal side. The blasting carried out by the Indian side hindered the construction of the road on the Nepal side due to the falling of boulders, deposition of rock and rubble in the river as well as on the road on the Nepal side.

The Mahakali river swept away the mule track constructed by the Army some 100 metres below the army camp.

Last Tuesday the trail at Kalju Simsimpani area at Byas Rural Municipality-2 was damaged when a large chunk of the side f a hill at Shantiban area collapsed in course of India's expansion of the Dharchula Lipulek Mansarovar road.

Nearly over 250 metres of the mule track has been damaged in course of the India's construction of its road. With this, the ward number 1 and 2 of Byas rural municipality have become disconnected, said Dhiran Singh Budhathoki, the Byas-2 Ward Chair. India has been constructing the road linking Manosarovar from Dharchula via Lipulek since a decade back. This road goes along the bank of the Mahakali river and hence the increased possibility of the river getting blocked due to the falling boulders and rubble while carrying out blasting in course of the construction of the road.

Ward Chair Budhathoki said the Mahakali river has changed its course at several places as it gets blocked due to the deposition of large boulders and rocks.

 Moreover, India has been constructing the road without leaving aside the no-man's land, taking the equipment via the Nepal side. The Mahakali River forms the border between Nepal and India.

The Indian side has been digging the road in the territories above Darchula district. “The river course has changed after pebbles have deposited into it as a result of digging the road 10 meters above the river. The river has eroded its banks and been advancing towards Nepal’s territories,” said Budhathoki.

Last year, Nepal’s territories in the Ghantibagar area were eroded after pebbles were deposited into the river as a result of digging roads by the Indian side.