Vehicles start running on the Lalu-Laifu Highway in Karnali corridor

BY PREM RAJ SIMKHADA,Kalikot, Apr. 11: Vehicles have now started running on the Lalu-Laifu Highway, which connects Lalu in Narharinath Rural Municipality of Kalikot to Pachaal Jharana and the Bajura border, after overcoming rocky terrain. Previously neglected due to slow contractor work and insufficient government funding, the road is finally easing transportation for people across Kalikot, Bajura, Achham, Humla and Mugu.

What was once used to be a narrow footpath to carry salt and supplies is now a motorable road. Dhan Bahadur Shahi of Kotila, Pachaal Jharana Rural Municipality-9, recalls walking to Bardiya’s Rajapur for salt, a route also used by people from Bajura and Humla. “Now we can ride motorcycles or jeeps to our village. Although public transport hasn't started, if it does, it’ll be a big relief,” he said.

Travel time has significantly reduced. For example, the walk from Ward No. 6 of Pachaal Jharana to Ward No. 1 of Raskot used to take a full day, now it takes just over an hour. Deumani Dhamala, from Raskot Municipality-8, who once walked to Kailali and Bardiya for essentials, said that he never imagined vehicles would run in their village.

The Surkhet–Jumla road made it possible to reach Kalikot’s headquarters by vehicle, and the Karnali Corridor extended transport access to Sanni Gaad in Karnali. As a result, once-remote villages are now accessible, easing the burden of carrying loads by hand.

Construction is progressing rapidly through a federal and provincial partnership. The Infrastructure Development Office of Kalikot informed that around 90 per cent of work is completed on the 8-kilometre rocky section from Raskot to Kotila. Contractor KK/NNS JV Surkhet is expected to finish the project well before the 30-month deadline. Except for bioengineering work, all major tasks will be completed within two months. Road width varies from 5 to 8 metres and drainage, gabion and stonework walls ensure durability.

The total project cost is Rs. 280 million, with a contract signed for Rs. 210 million. About Rs. 140 million was spent last year and another Rs. 50 million worth of work is in its final phase. Officials say the road meets quality standards thanks to the use of graders and rollers, and plans are underway to add signage and information boards.

Contractor Manav Bam, who is also General Secretary of the Contractors' Federation for Karnali Province, said, “We don’t take on projects we can’t handle. When we accept a project, we complete it and hand it over before the deadline. For this road, we were given 30 months. Now, we’re in a position to hand it over within 15 months.”

He said that the road holds additional significance as it will ease travel to destinations such as Ramaroshan in Achham, Lalu (birthplace of Yogi Narharinath) in Kalikot, Kalikot Airport Kotbada, Deura Patan, Triveni Patan and the Badimalika Temple and eventually to Rara Lake in Mugu. 

Dakshina Shahi, a member of the Karnali Provincial Assembly and a resident of Pachaal Jharana, said that efforts are being made to accelerate the completion of other road sections of the Lalu-Laifu-Ramaroshan Road, just like the Raskot–Pachaal Jharana section. Shahi emphasised that the timely completion of this highway, which is closely tied to the livelihoods of people from five municipalities in Kalikot and the neighboring districts of Bajura, Humla and Mugu, would bring immense benefits.