Prachanda Says He Dreams of Connecting Rukum East to China Border with Blacktopped Road

Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Coordinator of the Nepali Communist Party, has said that he dreams of connecting Rukum East to the Chinese border with a blacktopped road.

Addressing a program held today at Maikot in Putha Uttarganga Rural Municipality–1, he stated that the “Shahid Marg” (Martyrs’ Highway), which currently extends from Dang, should be expanded via Sahartara up to the Chinese border and paved. He expressed his belief that once the road is blacktopped, areas including Maikot could develop into major tourist destinations.

He said the Shahid Marg was initiated in memory of those killed by state forces during the armed conflict.

Prachanda stated, “It was I who proposed the Shahid Marg. During the people’s war, we proposed that a road be built in the name of the martyrs, running from south to north. The party decided, we appealed to the people, and the people voluntarily began digging the road.”

He added that after the peace agreement and once his party entered government, Shahid Marg was incorporated as a national road project. “Earlier, it was like our own initiative, but now it belongs to the state, and work is progressing accordingly. My dream is to blacktop the road, make travel to places like Maikot smooth, and develop this region into a tourist hub,” he said.

Prachanda also mentioned that during his first tenure as Prime Minister, he had proposed the Mid-Hill Highway project and allocated budget for it.

His team has traveled through the rural municipality center Takshera, Birgum, Pipaltung, Khaire (New Bazaar), Dimmur Gahira (Tatopani), Mayang, and Hukam before reaching Maikot in Rukum.

The team is scheduled to reach Nayagad in Sisne Rural Municipality–2 on Monday via Kol, Golkada, Rangsi, Nakha, and Jamabagar.