Humla district connected to national road network

BY NANDA SINGH,Humla,july.2: Humla district has finally been connected to Nepal’s national road network, fulfilling a long-cherished dream of its residents. Among Nepal's 77 districts, Humla became the last to be integrated into the national road system in the year 2025.

The milestone was achieved following the completion of a bailey bridge over the Chuwa River near Kharpunath Rural Municipality-5, which connects to the Karnali River. Though the bridge has been completed, its formal inauguration is scheduled for July 5, and is expected to be conducted by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

Despite the pending inauguration, large trucks and tippers have already begun using the route. With vehicular movement now possible from Nepalgunj and Surkhet to Humla’s district headquarters, Simkot, local businesses are seeing immediate benefits.

"Compared to air freight, road transport is significantly cheaper. Goods have become more affordable, and transportation has become easier for both businesses and consumers," said local entrepreneur Log Bhandari.

The completion of the bridge marks the near realisation of a dream that has been in the making for 26 years to link Simkot with the national highway network. The bridge is part of the much-anticipated ‘Karnali Corridor’, a national pride project first launched in 1999 AD. The 682-kilometre corridor stretches from Jamunaha, Nepalgunj in the south, to Hilsa near the China border in the north.

From the beginning to 2009, Nepal's Department of Roads was responsible for the construction of the corridor. Later, the Nepal Army took over the Simkot-Hilsa section, opening 145 kilometres of track and constructing four bridges between fiscal year 2012/13 and fiscal year 2022/23 at a total cost of Rs. 4.10 billion, according to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport’s 2019/20 annual progress report.

The report highlights that only 22.5% of the project had been physically completed at that time. Of the 145 km stretch, 130 km of track has been opened. The federal government had allocated a budget of Rs. 3.23 billion for the project, of which Rs. 2.21 billion was spent, and Rs. 1.19 billion returned, according to Humla’s Hilsa-Simkot Road Project Chief, Bel Bahadur Nepali.

Over the years, the Simkot road connection was often mentioned in annual budget speeches, but actual progress remained slow, leading to growing frustration among locals. Responding to public pressure, on Chaitra March 23, 2015, the government handed over the 123 km stretch from Laifu-Lalu in Kalikot to Salisalla in Sarkegad, Humla, to the Nepal Army. Once under military management, construction gained momentum.

All seven local governments in Humla played a key role in supporting the road's development. Now, after more than two decades of struggle, Humla’s connection to the national road network is no longer a dream, but a reality in motion.