Banke, Nov 16: The Hulaki Highway, which is under construction in the Banke section, is already being used as an easy alternative to the East-West Highway.
Traffic has increased noticeably on the section from Kundachok in Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality 6 to Agaiya. Travelers going from Nepalgunj to Dang now prefer this route. Jun Bahadur Thapa, chair of the Bheri Bus Entrepreneurs Association, Nepalgunj, said the distance is shorter on the Hulaki route compared to going through Kohalpur along the East-West Highway.
He added that vehicles traveling from Kohalpur to Agaiya also need to follow the time card system of Banke National Park, which has pushed more traffic toward the Hulaki Highway.
Forest encroachment rampant along Hulaki highway
Once the highway began taking shape, movement became easier for residents of Binauna and Baijapur across the Rapti in Banke. After the road from Fattepur to Baijapur was blacktopped, daily travel to the district headquarters, Nepalgunj, became simpler for locals of Rapti Sonari 5. Residents of wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 have also found it easier to reach Nepalgunj. People from Fattepur, Binauna and Baijapur now reach the rural municipality center in Agaiya with less hassle.
The road also has bridges and culverts along the way. Ram Lakhan Tharu, ward chair of Rapti Sonari 7, said people can now visit the rural municipality office more easily. With the road now functional, many have started using it as an alternative to the East-West Highway. Tharu said the route from Agaiya through Baijapur, Binauna and Fattepur to Nepalgunj is shorter.
A wide concrete bridge is under construction over the Rapti River at Sidheniyaghat. Once completed, and once the river-eroded and flooded sections are fixed, travel will become smoother. For now, vehicles must wait their turn to cross the narrow bridge. The new bridge, which will be 11 meters wide, will allow easy two-way traffic.
Work on the bridge at Sidheniyaghat is moving quickly. More than 50 percent of the construction has been completed, according to Lila Bahadur Bhandari, head of the Hulaki Highway Directorate Project Office in Nepalgunj. He said Hulaki Highway has already become a common alternative route for those traveling east from Nepalgunj through Dang, and the wider bridge will make travel even easier.
