HUMLA, August 9: A pick-up jeep was airlifted by a helicopter to Simikot, the district headquarters of Humla, after it was not possible to take the jeep through the road which has opened recently. It took Rs 1 million to airlift the jeep from Surkhet. 

The owner of the jeep decided to airlift it after paying the hefty amount considering that the recently made road linking Simikot to the lower hills was not suitable for vehicles to travel.
An engineer with the District Technical Office, Devi Aidi, said that the 23 km road near the district headquarters is ready to operate. The road was financed by the Decentralized Rural Infrastructure and Livelihood Project (DRILP) under the District Coordination Committee (DDC). 

The road has been extended up to western parts of Simikot and can accommodate a medium-sized vehicle on both lanes. Nar Bahadur Lama, one of the jeep drivers, said the expansion of road has helped travelers to a great extent.

Lama said the fare from Simikot to Syamne (8 kilometers) is Rs 250 while it takes Rs 6,000 to reserve a pick-up from Simikot to Hepkakhola (15 km). Lama makes around eight to ten trips to Syamne daily. Currently, there are five tractors, two pick-up jeeps and two excavators running on the newly constructed road. 

 
• simikot
 
• the district headquarters of humla