Upgradation and blacktopping work has begun on the 18.4-kilometre Shitalpokhari–Jhulkhet–Chunwang road in Rukum West, starting a long-awaited effort to improve a route that remained unfinished for 27 years. The road runs from Shitalpokhari in Musikot Municipality through Jhulkhet to Chunwang. Residents hope the renewed work will bring an end to the hardship they have faced while the road remained in poor condition.
A long-delayed road project
The start of construction marks a significant change for a road that has been discussed and funded repeatedly but never completed. Budgets were allocated for the route on several occasions, yet the work did not reach completion. As a result, the Shitalpokhari–Jhulkhet–Chunwang road remained an unfinished link for decades.
The current work includes both upgrading and blacktopping the existing route. The project covers 18.4 kilometres, connecting Shitalpokhari with Chunwang through Jhulkhet. Its length and route make it a key local connection, while the long delay has made the start of work especially important to people living in the area.
The gap between repeated budget allocations and completion has shaped local experience of the project. For residents, the announcement of funding alone had not delivered a finished road. The beginning of physical work now raises hopes that the latest effort will advance beyond earlier attempts and provide the improvement that locals have awaited.
Residents look for relief from years of hardship
Local people have welcomed the renewed work and hope it will end years of difficulty associated with the road. The project is intended to upgrade and blacktop the route, but the available information does not detail the construction schedule, the amount of funding or the specific sections where work has begun.
The road’s route links Shitalpokhari in Musikot Municipality to Jhulkhet and Chunwang. For communities along that stretch, completion would mean having an improved road connection where construction had previously remained unfinished. Residents’ hopes are focused on seeing the present work completed after the long period of delay.
Completion remains the key test
The start of upgradation is an important step, but the history of the road explains why completion matters. Although budgets had been set aside repeatedly, construction had not been completed over the 27-year period. Locals are therefore looking to the current work to deliver the road improvements that previous allocations did not bring.
With work now under way, attention will remain on whether the 18.4-kilometre project can be carried through to completion. Blacktopping and upgradation are expected to address the road’s long-standing unfinished state, while residents continue to hope that the renewed effort will ease the hardships they have experienced. The beginning of construction offers a new prospect for the Shitalpokhari–Jhulkhet–Chunwang route after nearly three decades of waiting.
