Rabindra Dhungel 7 september 2020. A suspension bridge is to be constructed in Helambu village, a major tourist destination of Sindhupalchowk, for a new adventure sport ‘Bungee Jump’.
A contract has been signed for the construction of a 173-meter-high and 370-meter-long suspension bridge at Ngimadawa Pangang in Helambu Gaonpalika-1, said Helambu Gaonpalika Chairperson Nima Galgen Sherpa. According to him, a contract agreement has been signed with Uma-Thani Himashikhar JV for Rs. 23.5 million.
Contractor Narahari Khadka said that the contract was signed by the Road Infrastructure Directorate of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development of Bagmati in July last year. According to him, the work is scheduled to start only after the next decade as a nationwide ban has been issued due to the corona virus.
Sherpa said that he had envisioned building a bungee in the area since he was elected with the aim of attracting more internal and external tourists and now it is taking shape.
Construction of a total of 60 kilometers of Himalayan Great Trail (footpath) resembling China’s Great Wall has been started since last year with the aim of attracting tourists to Helambu, which is full of religious, cultural and natural beauty.
For Bungee, the village council last year hired Dr. NL Joshi Consultancy was tasked to prepare the detailed project report DPR. DPR has estimated a budget of Rs. 53.9 million.
The suspension bridge will connect the two villages of Pangang and Dhawagang. Sher Bahadur Rai, sub-engineer of the village municipality, said that the cost of moving from one village to another after the completion of the bridge would be significantly reduced in about five hours.
The work of bungee jumping will start after the suspension bridge is ready, said the village municipality. After the completion of the bridge, it will be easy to observe the Semi Sitang Himal and the source area of the nearby Melamchi Drinking Water Project at Amwathan, said Chairman Sherpa.
The 160-meter-high bungee jump has been operating on the Bhotekoshi River in the district since 2056 BS. The bungee to be built now will be 13 meters higher than Bhotekoshi. Kumar Raut, manager of The Last Resort and bungee jump manager, said that Bhotekoshi’s bungee is considered to be the best in terms of adventure as it is in a deep gorge.
From there, foreign youths and even film stars have become bungee jumpers. Police officers have also been made mandatory since 2074 BS. Last year, the National Police Academy had conducted bungee jumping for 120 people, including 14 women, in connection with the basic service entry training of police inspectors.