Construction of Salisalla-Simikot road section under North South corridor to resume next week, officials say

Published On: March 9, 2020 02:45 PM NPT By: Sujita Sapkota

File photo: Republica

KATHMANDU, March 4: North South Trade Route Improvement Project Directorate (NSTRIPD) under the Department of Roads (DoR) is resuming its work in the second week of March to complete the construction of Salisalla-Simikot road section under the North-South Corridor Project.

Shiva Nepal, the director at the NSTRID, told Republica Online that the construction of the 51-km road section, which is hitting a snag due to hard rocks, will be resumed in the second week of March.

"So far, 34-km track has been opened. We are resuming works to complete the remaining 17-km track," said Nepal.

Chhare cliff is seen as a major hurdle for completing the project. At the request of the NSTRID, Nepal Army is airlifting explosives to break the cliff in the next few days, according to Nepal.

If things go as planned, the project is expected to complete by upcoming Dashain. "Vehicles are expected to ply the road section once the project is completed by Dashain," Nepal said.

The road construction project under the North South Corridor is expected to bring sea change to the local people's livelihood and economy. The project will be a lifeline to connect Simikot, the district headquarters of Humla, with the national highway.

Meanwhile, Nepal Army personnel are working to construct the 123-km road section from Khulalu, Kalikot to Salisalla. "So far, 114-km track has been opened and the remaining works are underway," said Nepal Army spokesperson Bigyan Dev Pandey. "We are expecting to complete the project by upcoming Dashain and handover to the Depart of Roads," he added.

Humla folks are currently airlifting daily goods and commodities from various parts of the country. Likewise, they are using sheep, mule to bring goods to their locality. Locals believe that they will get commodities in cheaper rate in their own village after they have good road access.

Moreover, the locals believe that local products like herbs could be sold to various parts of the country comfortably once they have better transportation service in their locality.

Humla is the only district in Nepal that has yet to be connected to a road network. After completion of the Karnali corridor, Humla will also be connected to the road network.