The border road to China in Darma valley remains closed from 17th June

BD Kasniyal

GG News Bureau
Pithoragarh,8th July. The motor road to Darma valley, close to the border of country with china will take one more week to open as two government agencies and a private contractor ,are working towards opening the 70 km long road that is closed from the night of  17 June this year. Sources said in Dharchula.

“While BRO, has opened 5 km long road from Tawaghat to Khet village of the valley, CPWD, engineers with help of  machinery from a local contractor, are working to open 20 km long   road from Nagling to Dhakar village of the valley and we hope it will be open in a weeks time from now.”said Anil Kumar Shukla, SDM Dharchula.

According to villagers of Darma valley, the school children are  travelling to Dhar chula  on foot on their own risk  to join online classes of their respective schools as the valley villages have no internet network.
“On way to Dharchula from our village Rongkong, 15 children have to cross  10 km long track route from Budi to Chunkan amidst the risk of falling stones, risking our lives.”said Bindu Rongkali, a student of a private school in Dharchula.

According to administration sources, the lone helicopter pushed in service to bring down needy villagers from Darma valley villages,has proved insufficient as there are large number of villagers trying to reach Dharchula sub divisional headquarter.
“due to limited space in chopper,  and other weather related reasons, we can bring in only most needy sick persons and pregnant women  by helicopter but we are not in position to take in all children by helicopter.”said the SDM.

The villagers of 14 Darma valley villages, are in summer migration in their ancestral high himalayan villages these days, due to which all villages are full of people.