The residents of four remote rural municipalities in southern Humla have been compelled to trek for two weeks to buy iodised salt. 

As the Salt Trading Corporation (STC) has not established depots in the rural municipalities, their residents cannot buy subsidised salt in their villages. 

People either visit Gamgadi, the district headquarters of Mugu, or Martadi, the district headquarters of Bajura, to buy iodised salt. The corporation supplies the salt in the rural parts of Humla through contractors. But the contractors do not transport the salt to the remote areas, villagers complained. 

People of Chankheli, Sakreghat, Adanchuli and Tajakot Rural Municipalities said they have been forced to buy salt at exorbitant prices from the markets in the neighbouring districts. 

Tilak Bohara, a local man of Chankheli-1, said that the corporation has not supplied salt in the four rural municipalities of southern Humla. 

“The residents of Chankheli and Sarkeghat go to Gamgadi and people of Adanchuli and Tajakot trek all the way to Kolti or Martadi to buy salt,” he said. 

Villagers said they have to pay huge amounts for transporting the iodised salt from Gamgadi and Martadi. 

Some of the villagers also brought non-iodised salt from Tibet. They take their goats and sheep to carry salt. “It takes more than three weeks to bring salt from Tibet,” said Bohara. 

Chhiring Palden Lama, former chairman of the then Limi VDC, said villagers are unknown about the availability of subsidised rice and salt in Limi village.