The road connecting the district headquarters to the center of Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality has finally been blacktopped. The 8.36-kilometer section from Ghyampeshal to Takukot has surfaced after 28 years since the track was first opened. The seven-meter-wide, two-lane road was blacktopped by the Gandaki Province Government. MS, Biruwa, Waiba and Lama JV Company carried out the blacktopping at a cost of Rs 297.7m, according to the Infrastructure Development Office, Gorkha. The company signed the contract on 30 July 2020, with a completion deadline of April 2025.

“There was some delay due to Covid-19 after the contract was signed,” said Kapil Kapri, an engineer at the Infrastructure Development Office. “In addition to blacktopping, a one-meter-wide drainage system, gabion walls, and machinery walls have been constructed at several locations. The road was surfaced using asphalt technology.”

Krishna Gurung, Chairperson of Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality-7, said locals are thrilled to see the road finally blacktopped. “This track was opened in 1997, but had never surfaced,” he said. “We feared it might remain unpaved forever. Although delayed, the work has now reached its final stage.”

Chair Gurung added that residents had long suffered due to the lack of a proper road. “When the road was unpaved, transportation was difficult—especially during the monsoon, when landslides and muddy conditions made travel extremely challenging,” he said. “Now that it's blacktopped, we expect smooth travel even during the rainy season.”

Locals believe the newly surfaced road will greatly ease travel between the municipality center and the district headquarters, improving access and quality of life for residents.