Due to budget constraints and delays, the highly anticipated Karnali Corridor's Khulalu–Hilsa road has taken over 15 years to open. The government has now initiated a multi-year contract worth over Rs 4 billion to blacktop 50 kilometers of road.

On February 14, the Karnali Corridor Khulalu–Sallisalla Road Project issued a Rs 4.23 billion multi-year contract for upgrading and blacktopping the Khulalu–Sallisalla section. The contract covers 50 kilometers in two segments, from Pilichaur in Bajura to Chumcha in Humla. As work is already underway from Khulalu in Kalikot to Pilichaur in Bajura, the project opened bids for the upper section.

The government has designated the Karnali Corridor, which connects Jamunah in India to Hilsa in China, as a national pride project. Tularam Sharma, Chief of the Karnali Corridor Khulalu–Sallisalla Road Project, stated that the contract mandates the completion of upgrading and blacktopping within three years.

Sharma said, "This is the highest value contract awarded so far for the Karnali Corridor." Last year, a contract worth over Rs 1 billion was awarded to build concrete bridges along the corridor from Khulalu in Kalikot to Pilichaur in Bajura.

Sharma further said that after budget assurance, the contract for blacktopping from Khulalu to Pilichaur will be awarded in the next fiscal year. Discussions are ongoing regarding the need to alter the road alignment due to flooding caused by the Fukhote Hydroelectric project in Kalikot.

Following the upgrading of the Karnali Corridor from Kalikot to Humla's 13 local units, local residents believe this will improve their standard of living. They also hope that improving the road will increase the number of Indian tourists traveling to Mansarovar.

Karnali’s Chief Minister, Yamalal Kandel, highlighted that the North-South Highway is the backbone of the region's development. He also praised the government's initiative to allocate budgets for national pride projects. "The central government also seems positive about granting more authority to provinces. We must not fail to maximize available resources," he said. Work is underway to replace all temporary bridges in the Karnali Corridor with permanent ones.

Likewise, Engineer Yuvraj Joshi from the Karnali Corridor Khulalu–Sallisalla Road Project said that permanent bridges are being built at places such as Khulalu, Sannigad, Fugat, Juddi, Kuwadi Khola, Gulfagad, and Sallisalla in Kalikot.

Some work has already started, while other sections are expected to be completed by the end of this year. Since last year, road upgrading and bridge work have been underway from Khulalu in Kalikot to Pilichaur in Bajura. An additional contract for 50 kilometers has been awarded worth Rs 4.25 billion.

Last year, six contracts worth Rs 60 million were awarded for road improvements, repairs, gabion walls, and gravel work for 60 kilometers from Khulalu to Bajura.

The current fiscal year has allocated Rs 112 million for upgrading the road from Pilichaur in Bajura to Kuwadi Khola in Humla. This contract is scheduled to be completed within three years. Despite the Rs 4.23 billion contract value, only Rs 3.08 billion worth of work will be carried out after VAT deductions, according to the road department.

A contract worth Rs 34 million has been awarded for road maintenance and improvements on the 146 kilometers of road from Sallisalla to Hilsa along the Karnali Corridor. Seven land disputes near Humla’s Simikot have delayed the remaining 700 meters of the road connecting Hilsa to Simikot. “The road from Hilsa to Simikot has been connected via a winding path,” said Belbahadur Nepali, Head of the Hilsa–Simikot Project in Humla, “Local disputes have delayed the final 700-meter stretch.”

During the monsoon, vehicles cannot cross Chuwa Khola in Humla’s Kharpunath and must travel to Surkhet instead. The Nepali Army is currently constructing a Bailey bridge at this location.

The road from Khulalu to Simikot, connecting Humla's district headquarters, was completed a year ago, and vehicles are now operating there. Locals claim that despite being a national pride project, it took more than a decade for the track to open due to rocky terrain, budget shortages, and delays. Nawaraj Rokaya from Sarke Gad in Humla complained that vehicle fares have become excessively expensive due to the road's poor condition. "The vehicles are here, but the fares have drastically increased. It costs Rs 4,000 to reach Surkhet from Sarke Gad," he said, "I hope the fares will decrease once the road is upgraded."

The construction work gained momentum after the Cabinet meeting on Chait 5, 2071, tasked the Nepali Army with building the Khulalu–Simikot road under special circumstances. The Nepali Army took seven years to complete the 196.3 kilometers of the Karnali Corridor from Khulalu in Kalikot to Simikot in Humla, initially promising to finish it in five years. The Army extended the deadline due to budget shortages and the impact of COVID-19.

The Army has been blasting and constructing the road from Ghata Pahari Chaur to Bhukka Khola in Kalikot, a stretch of 11 kilometers. By the end of the last fiscal year, 3.5 kilometers of the track had been opened, and this fiscal year, the Army aims to open an additional 2.5 kilometers with the Rs 10 million allocated by the government.

By Lalit Bista