Karnali folks in high spirits as they get roads

GORUCHAUR, Dec 14: Karnali, a hinterland in the mid-west of Nepal which took days and even weeks on horseback to reach, is all set to be conquered in hours with the Karnali Highway finally opening the way for vehicles to this backwoods often dubbed as ´neglected region´ hitherto untouched by rumbling wheels.



There is now a feeling of great euphoria among the denizens with the buses taking over the role of horses and mules. [break]



The region, which is cut off from the towns and influence of modernity, is now set to undergo a transformation, according to the locals. The people, who long prided in the region´s outstanding natural beauty, now have one more reason to boasts of - motorable roads.



“Earlier, local productions like apple, potatoes and walnuts used to rot in the fields due to unavailability of transportation facility but now we can sell them to nearby markets like Dailekh, Surkhet and Nepalgunj,” says Kali Bahadur Shahi, a resident of Birat VDC.



Shahi is even quick to add that he had never ever dreamt of seeing the 5.5-meter-wide road during his lifetime.



The newly-constructed road from Kalikot´s Nagma to Jumla´s Kanaka Sundari VDC has not only benefited these people in terms of selling their products but also drastically reduced the cost of transporting the basic amenities of life.



“We used to pay Rs 13 per kg to ferry goods from Nagma on a mule, but now we pay Rs 4 per kg to the same amount of good to ferry by buses,” says Makan Bahadur Shahi of Hat Sinja.



It took at least a dozen men strongly built in arms to transport a grinding mill from Kalikot to Jumla, often taking more than a week. But now, the same task has become cheaper and easier with the availability of transport vehicles, according to the locals.



Shahi added that health and educational facilities have become easily accessible through the extension of road networks. Shahi nonchalantly remarks: “I am no longer worried about being caught in adverse situation such as the unavailability of treatment for there are vehicles to ferry me to health facilities.”



Also, the road connection has given a new lease of life to Sinja Valley, which is believed to be an originating place of the Nepali (Khas) language. Many internal and external tourists are likely to visit this historic place as travelling has become much easier and cheaper.



Jumla-Mugu to get connected in 3 years



Karnali Highway is all set to be completed when a section of the Karnali Highway from Kalikot´s Nagma to Mugu´s Gamgadi gets completed. The construction of Jumla´s Laha road, which is 44-km-long, has already been completed. The work from Laha to Jiya village (13 kilometer) has been however going on at a feverish pace.



All indications are that the remaining 34-km will be accomplished in three years, said Major Sanjaya KC, chief of Nepal Army´s contingent force, carrying out the track opening task.



KC added that after the completion of this section of the Karnali Highway, only Humla will be left out among the five districts. Meanwhile, construction of roads to Dolpa has been going on at a war-footing.



“After the road reaches Gamgadi, the task will be connect Humla which is 100-km from there,” he said, adding, “The road will then connect Humla with Tibet.”



Some constraints



Despite labor donation and active participation of the locals, the construction work is not going on at feverish pace due to many different intervening factors. The challenges lurk mainly from the bone-chilling temperature causing hardships for the drillers.



“The construction labourers have to drill the rocky mountains and that too at an altitude of 11,000 feet,” informs KC. The freezing temperature has worsened the situation as workers find it hard to hold metal utensils which is delaying the construction work.



He also lamented that the budgetary allocation by the government is not sufficient enough to meet the intended targets. The government has doled out a total of Rs 31.5 million in the last fiscal and this year it allocated a paltry sum of Rs 0.87 million, he said.



Beginning of a new era



Despite some budgetary hurdles, road to Karnali is truly a dream-come-true for many Karnalis.



For them, road implies beginning of a new era, a harbinger of hope and liberation from perpetual darkness.



“This road will change the face of Karnali region and its people,” said Surya Jung Hamal, a resident of Kanaka Sundari VDC, Jumla. “And we have started to experience such changes.”



“We´re waiting to welcome a prosperous Karnali soon-very soon,” said Hamal.

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