SURKHET, Feb 1: The Karnali Corridor, which links the remote Karnali Province to China, is set to become operational from the Nepali month of Baishakh (mid-April to mid-May). The Nepalese Army is in the final phase of completing the challenging task of opening an 11 km stretch of rugged terrain from Lalibagar to Dullikuna in Humla. 

"Efforts are underway to operate vehicles to Simkot on the occasion of the Nepali New Year," said Major Amrit Parajuli, chief of the road construction task force of the Nepalese Army, adding, “Humla is the only district that is not yet connected to the national road network.”

Opening of the track of the Lalibagar-Dullikuna road section of the Karnali Corridor will establish a vital road link connecting Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces with China. Leveling a cliff from Chhare to Lipche under the Lalibagar-Dullikuna section, where the Nepal Army is currently working, is the most difficult part. The blasting work has been completed and the army is now engaged in leveling the 800 meter road section.

Similarly, the army has also been entrusted with the responsibility of leveling the roads in Bokche Gauda, Bhi Gauda, Dullikuna and Yangchu, where the Department of Roads (DoR) is currently working. Although small vehicles can traverse this road, it is difficult for large vehicles to ply.

The Nepalese Army is working to open an 11.05 km stretch of road from Ghatpaari Chaur in Kalikot to Jhumka Khola in Bajura district under the Karnali Corridor. After the completion of this road section, the length of the Karnali Corridor will be reduced by eight kilometers.

The federal government decided to hand over the construction of the Dullikuna-Lalibagar section under the Karnali Corridor to the Nepalese Army about two years ago. 

Mohan Bikram Singh, chairman of Adanchuli Rural Municipality of Humla, informed Republica that the road construction work is being done on a war footing after the army took over the job. 

The Nepalese Army has already completed the construction of a 122-kilometer road section under the Karnali Corridor and handed it over to the Department of Roads in July 2021.

The Karnali Corridor is 268 km long and links Khulalu of Kalikot to Hilsa, the China border. The most challenging 122.75 km stretch of the road was assigned to the Nepalese Army by the government in March 2015. The remaining stretch from Sallisalla to Simkot, covering 51 km, has been opened, while the 94 km road from Simkot to Hilsa is already operational.

The Karnali Corridor serves as a trilateral road, connecting India and China.

The federal government has allocated Rs 970 million for the improvement of the Karnali Corridor for the current fiscal year. As Karnali Province is not connected to its southern neighbor India, the land route connection with the northern neighbor China is crucial. With the Karnali Corridor becoming operational and the Haat Bazar market resuming, this corridor stands as the shortest and easiest road for those traveling to Manasarovar.

 
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