The price of the daily consumable goods have skyrocketed in the western belt of the district after the road got blocked at a several stretches, disrupting the flow of goods to the areas from the two largest commercial hubs in the district. [break]
Suman Malla, the secretary of Myagdi Jeep and Bus Transporation Committee, informed that it was precarious to ferry people or goods through the dirt roads, which have turned slippery due to the rainfall. “It is not difficult to see the chain reaction: The disruption of the road has resulted in the increase in the transportation price, which in turn has raised the price of essential commodities,” says Santosh Subedi, a businessman from Darbang.
Given the situation, businessmen and consumers in the region are compelled to rely heavily on porters and mules to supply goods. But the mule trails have also been badly affected by the monsoon. “The mule owners and porters are still not able to carry the goods even though we offer Rs 6 per kilograms,” says Subedi.
The transportation fare for daily consumable goods such as the rice, pulse, salt and oil used to Rs 2 per kg before the road was blocked.
The Beni-Darbang road is the main thoroughfare for thousands of people in western part in the district such as Darban, Inskot, Rum, Okharabot, Devisthan, Takam, Muna, Mudi, Gurja, Lulang, Bim and Marang. As the people from Baglung and Rukum districts also depend a lot on the same route, they, too, are hit hard.
And the local administration does not seem in a hurry to redress the situation.
Local Development Officer, Bishnu Prasad Sharma, rules out the possibility of repairing the road before the monsoon.
“The rainy season is not yet over. The hurry in the maintenance of the road would incur unnecessary expenses. The District Development Committee has been collecting necessary data to start repairing the road,” Sharma adds.
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