October 12: Farmers along the banks of Kaligandaki river have become excited with the operation of the Kaligandaki Corridor. The farmers of Falebas, Bihadi and Paiyu are delighted that their products would now reach the markets of Butwal after vehicles started plying the newly completed road.

The banks of Kaligandaki are fertile and good for farming.

“Now, we won’t have problem selling cauliflowers grown in our farm,” said Krishna Parajuli, a local farmer, adding, “Our products won’t decay anymore.”

Although the Pokhara-Baglung Highway links the villages to Butwal, they have to travel a lot through that route which is very costly. It was also time consuming. But with the Kaligandaki Corridor in operation, farmers can reach Butwal in four hours instead of 10 hours through the previous route.

Locals aspiring to go abroad or to the cities for work have started returning to the villages as the new road has opened new prospects of employment.