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Kathmandu Wednesday December 26, 2001 Paush 11, 2058.
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Opening of millennium trekking
route deferred
Post Report
POKHARA, Dec 25 - The opening of the
80-kilometres long millennium trekking route from Dhorfirdi in Tanahun to Budhakot in
Syangja is to be delayed by almost one year due to a lack of infrastructure development,
primarily as a result of government indifference.
"The millennium trekking route that was to
be opened next week will not be opened this year," Padam Bahadur KC, chief at the
tourism office in Pokhara, informed The Kathmandu Post. "The route is likely to be
opened only around September-October next year."
Local are vexed over the indifference shown by
the government in opening the route that would have served as one of the attractions to
Destination Nepal 2002. The Dhorfirdi Majkot Tourism Development and Management Committee
had demanded over Rs 4.1 million from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation
three months back for developing the necessary infrastructure.
"The government did not support us in our
endeavor to open the trekking route. The opening of the route would have served in the
larger interest of the nation by being one of the attractions in Destination Nepal year
2002," said Tek Bahadur Gurung, vice chairman of the committee.
The committee had asked for the government’s
assistance to construct the necessary infrastructure along the trekking route. The
committee had envisaged to spent the money on constructing a hanging bridge and a park,
among others.
The local population has done the necessary
homework to promote the trekking route. According to Gurung, almost 40 per cent of the
necessary infrastructure is already ready, done with active participation of the local
population.
The villagers had initiated the necessary works
after a feasibility study was initiated led by the tourism office in Pokhara. The locals
are actively engaged in the construction of toilets in the villages and renovation of
their houses to accommodate the tourists.
The opening of the route, which will take around
6 days to complete, is expected to benefit, directly or indirectly, over a hundred
thousand people along the trekking route. KC also informed that one-day, two-day and
three-day trekking packages will also be developed to suit the trekkers.
The proposed trekking route passes through nine
village development committees in the Tanahun and Syangja districts. Many of the villages
along the route are to be developed as Model Tourism Villages, as well.
The millennium trekking route once opened would
be the first route based on the concept of village-tourism. No tourist-standard
restaurants or hotels would be allowed to operate, and all tourists would share rooms with
villagers as a part of the family and eat the best food that the family has to offer.
However, the lodging of tourists would be
decided by a committee constituted in each of the villages on a rotation basis so that
each household prospers. The charges for fooding and lodging per person each day would
range from US $ 28 to 46.
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