Road access changes lifestyle of remote villagers in Bajura

BY SHER BAHADUR SARKI,Bajura, Apr. 2:The lifestyle of the locals has changed with the construction of a road in the remote villages of Himali Rural Municipality in the northeast region of Bajura. The locals who had to walk for a week to reach the headquarters Martadi Bazar for daily necessities now can easily buy daily commodities nearby their houses after the roads were connected with the settlements. 

Nawaraj Bhandari, a local of Himali Rural Municipality-4, said that after the rural municipality had prioritised road infrastructures in the village, people who had to carry daily supplies from the headquarters to their homes were now in relief. Stating that earlier, people had to travel for a week to buy daily groceries like salt and oil, he said that after the easy access to roads in the settlement, the lifestyle of most of the locals had changed. 

The rural municipality has connected roads to the settlements of five wards. Most of the land in the rural municipality is considered fertile for potato and apple cultivation. Earlier, the agricultural produce use to be wasted. Now, farmers have been able to send the agricultural products to the market.

The rural municipality, connected to Mugu district, is considered to be equally important in terms of tourism. It was not connected to the road network until the arrival of the local government. The lifestyle of the people of the rural municipality, which is known as the remote village of Bajura, has now changed due to road access in the settlement.

Raj Bahadur Bhandari, chief administrative officer of Himali Rural Municipality, said that now that the road had connected the villages, the living standard of many locals was improving since they could transport and sell their produce from home to the market. 

He said, since last 10 years, there has been a big change in Dhulachaur Dhim Borta and other settlements. Earlier, people had to carry patients on a stretcher to the hospital, but now since vehicles can get into the settlement, people get treatment on time, he informed.

The rural municipality is witnessing the development. Until the road network had reached the rural municipality, the locals had to walk along the narrow path nearby Karnali River and some even lost their lives taking the path. There was no electricity and people were dependent on traditional oil lamps. But today, the rural municipality has prioritised road and electricity and solved the problems, said Bhandari. 

Govindra Bahadur Malla, vice chair of the rural municipality, said that although all villages could not develop at once since they were scattered, the process of development had already taken off. 

He said that despite the geographical difficulties, the lifestyle of the locals was changing after the development infrastructures reached the municipality. In the first few years, we were only emphasizing on road construction. 

Currently, they are planning to widen the road and make it possible for traffic to be operated for all the year round, he added. He said that the rural municipality was even taking initiatives with the provincial and federal governments to blacktop those unpaved roads.