The distance between Birendranagar in Surkhet and the federal capital, Kathmandu is around 600 km by road. Public transport fare of the Birendranagar-Kathmandu route is up to Rs2,652 per person. Simkot, the district headquarters of Humla, is around 334 km from Birendranagar, the provincial headquarters of Karnali. A passenger has to spend approximately Rs6,500 to travel the Birendranagar-Simkot road section.

“Travelling along the Birendranagar-Simkot road is very painful and risky as well. The fares are exorbitant and it takes us until the next day to reach Surkhet. One has to spend a hefty amount just to reach Birendranagar or return home from the town,” complained Kamal Rokaya, a resident of Humla.

Vehicles operate in three different sections along the Birendranagar-Simkot road. Big passenger buses run along the Birendranagar-Khulalu-Sarkegad section, where the government-fixed bus fare is Rs3,500. Buses cannot be operated along the Sarkegad-Kharpunath and the Kharpunath-Simkot sections due to poor road conditions.

“Only four-wheelers run along the Sarkegad-Kharpunath and the Kharpunath-Simkot roads, and they charge high fares from the passengers,” said Megharaj Rokaya, another local from Humla. According to him, vehicle owners charge between Rs1,500 and Rs2,000 per passenger for the 50-km Sarkegad-Kharpunath road section. Likewise, one has to pay Rs700 to Rs 1,000 to travel the 12 km dirt road from Kharpunath to Simkot.

Passengers have to switch vehicles at different places along the Birendranagar-Simkot road due to a lack of bridges and the poor condition of roads. “We cannot travel to Birendranagar from Simkot in the same vehicle as some bridges have yet to be constructed, and roads are narrow and in pitiable condition, mainly along the Sarkegad-Simkot section. People are forced to pay exorbitant fares,” said Megharaj.

The passage [locally known as track] from Kharpunath to Simkot was opened in mid-April, but construction of a bridge over the Karnali river near Chuwakohla remains incomplete. As a result, Simkot is not yet connected to the national road network.

Presenting the financial plan for the current fiscal year of 2024-25 last April, then finance minister Barsha Man Pun had said that all 77 districts of the country are now connected to the national road network. But the ground reality is different. Without a bridge over the Karnali river at Chuwakhola, Humla remains disconnected from the national road network.

In September 2021, the joint venture of Swachchhanda, Mount, and Pumori JV was awarded a Rs110 million contract for the bridge. The construction companies were issued Rs11 million in advance, and the project completion deadline was fixed for March this year [2025]. “The bridge construction has been left incomplete. The company did not start the construction work for a long time as the design needed to be changed,” said Birendra Bahadur Chand, acting chief of Karnali Corridor Road Project.

“The jeep owners carry far more than the capacity of their vehicles and charge hefty fares. We have to pay a huge amount of money for the fare, as if we chartered the vehicle. It is also very risky to travel in such overcrowded jeeps. The problem will be resolved once the bridge is completed and buses start running along the Karpunath-Simkot road section,” said Gangaram BK of Simkot. “Due to poor road conditions, there is no alternative but to use air service during emergencies, when patients need to be taken to hospital,” he added.

The price of daily essentials in Humla is sky-high due to transportation issues. “The cost of various essential goods will decrease sharply if transportation along the Birendranagar-Simkot road section improves. Since we have to change vehicles at different points, it has made transportation costs very high,” said Sunduk Lama, a local trader at Simkot.