By Kamal Sharma, Dailekh, Jan. 27: Bhairavi Rural Municipality of Dailekh and Shubhakalika Rural Municipality of Kalikot districts are now connected with the road network.

The road from Birendranagar in Surkhet, the capital of Karnali Province, to Upper Dungeshwar, Bank, Malika, Dullu Dandamadi, Silangibazaar, Kusapani, Byauli Lake are connected with north-south road network after a track was opened in the border area of ​​Bhairavi and Shubhakalika Rural Municipalities under the road connecting Kalikot, Jumla, Mugu and Tibet.

The road section, which is considered a north-south alternative highway to Karnali Highway, has reached Shubhakalika Rural Municipality of Kalikot on the border of Dailekh and Kalikot districts. A track has been opened from Bhairavi-7 Batase of Dailekh to Shubhakalika-6 Bhotegadhi of Kalikot.

Engineer Hira Singh Thapa of Bhairavi Rural Municipality informed that about Rs. 50 million has been spent to open the road track. He said that the Karnali Province government has already allocated Rs. 290 million under a multi-year plan to upgrade the road.

Once the road section is upgraded and connected to Mugu, this road section can become an economic hub for Karnali.

Prem Bahadur Budha, chairman of Bhairavi Rural Municipality, said that the road would be linked to Serawada on the Karnali Highway from Pantadi via Shubhakalika-6 Dahchaur in Kalikot district.

He said that the under-construction road would be 68 kilometres shorter than the Karnali Highway to reach the two districts, and the people of Mugu, Jumla and the eastern region of Kalikot districts will benefit from this road, he added.

The road section will be an important route for tourists heading to and from the famous Rara Lake while observing the Panchkoshi pilgrimage site of Dailekh and it will boost tourism business, said chairman Budha. The locals are happy after the road connected their area.

Tularam Adhikari, a local of Bhairavi-5, said that the road network would facilitate transportation as soon as Kalikot and Dailekh districts are connected. He said that now the track of the road has been opened, attention should be paid to upgrade it as the road would promote religious tourism.