Kalimati Rural Municipality ward chair Mitralal Rijal has staged a sit-in outside the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers of Karnali Province, demanding expansion of basic infrastructure services including roads, telecommunications and electricity.

Rijal, the chair of ward 7 of Kalimati Rural Municipality in Salyan, has been camping outside the chief minister’s office for the past three days, calling for the widening and blacktopping of the Ghuiyabari-Swamibash-Babai road, the setting up of a Nepal Telecom tower and the expansion of electricity services in the village.

He said he was compelled to launch the protest after repeated appeals to local and provincial authorities went unheard. According to him, residents in the area still lack reliable road access, communication services and regular electricity supply.

Rijal said the muddy road that is often blocked by landslides during the monsoon disrupts the transportation of patients, food supplies and students’ movement.

“People have not been able to feel the presence of the state due to the lack of proper roads,” Rijal said. “It is unfortunate that we have to protest even for basic infrastructure development.”

He also said locals still depend on fossil fuels and solar power due to the lack of electrification, and urged the government to prioritise electricity expansion in rural settlements.

“Roads, communication and electricity are not luxuries today; they are necessities,” he said.

Rijal warned that the sit-in would continue until the demands are addressed and urged the provincial government to be more sensitive to the needs of remote communities.