Myagdi. The preliminary estimate for the reconstruction of the Beni-Darwang-Muna road in Myagdi, which has been devastated by floods, landslides, and river erosion, is approximately NPR 7 crore. The road, which connects the western Myagdi municipalities of Mangala, Malika, and Dhawalagiri to the district headquarters Beni, suffered significant damage in various locations due to continuous rainfall from October 8 to 11, followed by floods, landslides, and erosion by the Myagdi River. According to the Infrastructure Development Office, Myagdi, approximately 22 locations on the road from Beni to the Dhawalagiri Municipality center, Muna, have been damaged. Engineer Mohan Ruwali of the office stated that the infrastructure has been severely damaged due to the road surface sinking, and the washing away of gabion nets, retaining walls, and blacktopped roads caused by floods and river erosion. He further informed that 15 locations between Beni and Mangala Municipality-2, Panabagar, experienced small and large landslides, damaging the road infrastructure. Two locations have been washed away due to river erosion. The preliminary estimate for the damage to the road infrastructure in this section alone is between NPR 3 to 4 crore. In Balute, Malika Municipality-6, approximately 100 meters of blacktopped road have been washed away and devastated by the Myagdi River erosion. Landslides have damaged the road in four locations from Panabagar to Darwang. Similarly, in Dharapani on the Darwang to Muna section, approximately 150 meters of the concreted road have sunk due to landslides, and the road infrastructure has been damaged by landslides in Thapachaur. The direct transportation between Beni and Muna has been affected due to the damage to the road. Due to significant damage to the road from Balute to Tolabang, transportation is being operated via an alternative road connecting Dukhu Khola bridge at the border of Mangala and Malika municipalities, via Dukhu Besi to Tolabang. The alternative road, which is narrow, unpaved, and has improper grading, poses difficulties for large vehicles to travel. Rajesh Ulak, Chief of the Infrastructure Development Office and Senior Divisional Engineer, stated that it is difficult to resume regular road operations immediately as approximately 100 meters of the road in Balute have been completely washed away from the bank by river erosion. He added that even walking on the damaged road is risky. To make the road operational again, it is necessary to construct a concrete wall on the river bank and reconstruct the road. The office chief Ulak stated that the reconstruction of the Beni-Panabagar section is estimated to cost NPR 4 crore 62 lakh 56 thousand 20, and the reconstruction of the Balute section of the Panabagar-Darwang section is estimated to cost NPR 2 crore 27 lakh 43 thousand 599. The Provincial Government has secured a budget of NPR 25 lakh for the reconstruction of the road in Balute, and work will commence immediately after Dashain. Resham Jugjali, Gandaki Province Assembly member elected from Myagdi 1 (K), stated that the road reconstruction will be carried out without affecting the settlements and that river control work needs to be done before the next monsoon. Province Assembly member Jugjali said that efforts are underway to reconstruct the damaged road within one year by arranging the necessary budget. The office stated that transportation is currently being operated one-way from Beni to Dukhu Khola bridge, and from there via the alternative road to Tolabang, Darwang, and Muna, after clearing the landslides. Due to the Faparkhet landslide, the alternative road Pkher-Barjang-Satbise-Babiachaur has been in operation since Saturday. Out of the 24-kilometer distance from Beni to Darwang, 16 kilometers and 400 meters are blacktopped. Out of the 18 kilometers from Darwang, the center of Malika Municipality, to Muna, 6 kilometers of the Dharapani-Jindada section are under construction, while the rest is under construction. The Beni-Darwang-Muna-Jaljala-Dhorpatan road, which connects to Eastern Rukum and is considered an alternative to the Mid-Hilly Highway's Baglung section, is an important route for the residents of West Myagdi. The route of the road connecting Muna, the center of Dhawalagiri Municipality, to Khoriya, Mareni, Jaljala, and Gurjaghat to the Dhorpatan valley was opened last December.
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