By Our Correspondent
Hetauda, July 26: Locals are ecstatic over the construction of a paved road from Manedanda to Ramauli village in Ward No. 7 of the Manahari Rural Municipality. The road section is paved with slabs of concrete and consists of a short-distance bridge.
Construction of the Manedanda-Ramauli road section commenced on the recommendation of the then Constituent Assembly member Rajaram Syangtan under the Constituency Infrastructure Development Programme.
In the last fiscal year, the Manahari Rural Municipality allocated a total budget of Rs. 19.9 million for the construction of the road. In the same fiscal year, the Bagmati Province Government had also allocated Rs. 2 million for the road section.
The construction of the road has greatly eased the movement of the villagers of Bijauna, Mandedanda, Ramantar and Ramauli, said Indra Kumar Bholan, Chairperson of the Ramauli-Manedanda Road Construction Consumers Committee. “The situation became particularly worse while travelling to nearby hospitals or conducting the last rites of the deceased. People were forced to carry the dead and walk the long distance on foot to the cremation site before setting the lifeless bodies on a pier,” added Bholan.
About 12 years ago, the settlement of Ramauli and Pratappur were relocated across the Rapti River -- cutting them off from the main road. However, with construction of the road connecting the two settlements with the national highway, transportation has eased life in both Ramauli and Pratapur. “Now school buses come right at their doorsteps. Several pickups ply across the village, supplying food, stationery, garments,” informed Ward Chairperson Thakurram Titung.