Nepali Army Assigned Responsibility for Construction of Lasikyap–Sisaul Road Section

March 16, Dolpa — The responsibility for constructing the road section from Lasikyap to Sisaul in Dolpa, under the Bheri Corridor project, is set to be handed over to the Nepali Army. The Council of Ministers, in its meeting on March 14, decided to assign the 33-kilometer road construction to the army.

The designated road section is located in a highly steep and rugged rocky terrain, making the construction work very challenging. Due to the difficult geography, even opening a track according to standards had proven to be extremely problematic before.

The Bheri Corridor aims to connect Jamunaha in Banke through Surkhet, Salyan, Jajarkot, and Western Rukum, passing through Dunai, Dho, and Tinje in Dolpa, ultimately reaching the Tibetan border. This road is considered the shortest route linking India and China through Nepalese territory.

Being a tri-national road connecting China, Nepal, and India, the corridor holds significant strategic and commercial importance.

As the road section assigned to the army traverses very steep and tough rocky areas, the construction remains a formidable challenge.

On November 20, 2018, the Bheri Corridor was formally inaugurated after opening the track up to Tripurakot in Dolpa. However, several years after the inauguration, construction progress has been slow.

According to the Bheri Corridor Project Office in Jajarkot, approximately 317 kilometers of road stretch from Chhinchu in Surkhet to Morimla in Dolpa. Of this, the road from Chhinchu through Jajarkot headquarters to Tallubagar has already been blacktopped, with some locations in the phase of permanent bridge construction.

Road upgrade works and construction of permanent bridges are also underway from Tallubagar to Tripurakot, within the corridor.

Various road sections within the corridor are narrow and face frequent issues such as landslides and falling rocks and soil.

Once complete, the Bheri Corridor is expected to enhance tourist traffic to famous destinations in Dolpa such as Phoksundo Lake, Jagadulla Lake, Suligad Waterfall, Charka Bhote settlement, Tripura Sundari Temple, and Dho Valley.

Not only in terms of tourism, but locals also anticipate that valuable regional products like Yarsagumba, Jatamansi, apples, and walnuts will reach national and international markets more effectively. Additionally, this road is expected to support the government’s plans for developing a Himalayan city in the Dho area in the future.