Solukhumbu’s last rural municipality connected to road network

Solukhumbu / Apr 3: In less than two weeks, chief minister of Province 1, Sherdhan Rai, inaugurated the Khumbu-Pasang Lamhu road — also known as the gateway to Mount Everest. The road links Salleri to Khari Khola of Khumbu Pasanglhamu-1 via Mapyadudhkoshi rural municipality.

On March 22, two rural municipalities, Madhya Dudh Koshi and Khumbu Pasang Lamhu, had agreed to share costs to open the road network to end decades of disconnection by the end of this fiscal year. Of the eight RMs in Solukhumbu, this is the only one that is yet to be linked by the road network, a task that the local body plans to conquer by this fiscal year.

On the occasion, Chief Minister Rai expressed commitment that the state government would provide the required budget to expand the road from Khumbu Pasang Lhamu to Chauri Kharka rural municipality.

The road linkage is expected to increase domestic and foreign tourists via land and increase business. In addition, it will also ease movement to-and-from Lukla if flights are obstructed. Earlier, bad weather would force tourists to stay grounded at Lukla’s Tenzing Hillary Airport.

The Chief Minister also proposed to call the Khumbu Pasanglhamu RM as a ‘Tourism rural municipality’.