KATHMANDU: On May 30, 2000, then Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya announced during his budget speech a plan to “provide road access to districts without road connectivity.” At the time, Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, then Chairperson of the Humla District Development Committee, was repeatedly summoned to the Home Ministry for hearings. The reason: the committee under his leadership had begun construction of the Hilsa–Simikot road without government approval.

Arguing that the government had neglected Humla’s need for connection to the national road network, and that locals were suffering due to the lack of transportation access, Shahi initiated the construction of a road linking Hilsa, on the northern border with China, through a District Council decision in 1998.

Shahi was confident that constructing the Hilsa–Simikot road would strengthen trade ties with Tibet. However, the government accused him of building a road to China without official approval, summoning him to multiple hearings. As a result, he had to submit written explanations to the Home Ministry on three occasions. Shahi, who later became the Chief Minister of Karnali Province, reflects, “The state’s neglect of Karnali isn’t new—it’s been that way for a long time.”

Karnali continues to bear the brunt of the state’s long-standing neglect—most visibly in its road infrastructure development. It took 26 years after former Chief Minister Jeevan Bahadur Shahi initiated the construction of the Hilsa–Simikot road, through a District Council decision, for Humla to finally connect to the national road network on July 6, 2025. With this, Humla became the last, 77^th, district in the country to gain road access.

It took nearly three and a half decades for all districts in Karnali to be reached by roads. Yet, the region still lacks safe, reliable, and all-weather transport infrastructure. The government’s prolonged disregard has left Karnali far behind in basic connectivity.

This disparity becomes even more apparent when compared with Lumbini Province, a neighboring region with far better access and influence. While Lumbini began building road networks through the East-West Highway as early as the 1960s, it continues to receive substantial investments—now boasting six-lane highways and tunnel projects.

The allocation of development budgets reflects this imbalance. Despite Karnali’s greater need for infrastructure investment due to its remoteness and geographic challenges, it has received a disproportionately low budget. In the current fiscal year, while the government has earmarked nearly Rs 20 billion for large and medium-scale roads in Lumbini, Karnali has been allocated barely Rs 5 billion.

Work is underway to construct a bridge at Chheda Khola in Chhedagad Municipality, Jajarkot. Photo: Nepal News

Lumbini’s Road Development

First, Lumbini’s road development: The government is running several ‘mega-projects’ centered in Rupandehi. One is the six-lane Butwal–Narayanghat road under the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Road Improvement Project.

This road, which started in the fiscal year 2018/19, is targeted to be completed by 2027/28. The 113-kilometer-long road has an estimated cost of Rs 17 billion. This year, Rs 5.29 billion has been allocated.

Second, the Butwal–Gorusinghe–Chandrauta road: For this, Rs 4.24 billion has been allocated in the current fiscal year. The upgrading of the Siddhartha Highway in Lumbini is also happening at a rapid pace. This fiscal year, Rs 300 million has been allocated.

The Siddhababa Tunnel Road, near the Siddhababa Temple on this highway, is being built at a cost of Rs 7 billion. For the tunnel road alone, Rs 485 million has been allocated in the current fiscal year.

The excitement around road construction in Rupandehi is not limited to this. Other wide roads are also being built centered in Butwal. Many are under construction. The four-lane Bhairahawa–Lumbini–Taulihawa road and the two-lane Butwal Link Road (Bypass) are infrastructures that reflect Lumbini’s development.

This year, Rs 200 million has been allocated for the Bhairahawa–Lumbini–Taulihawa road and Rs 180 million for the bypass. For the Kakrahawa–Rudrapur–Saljhandi–Sandhikharka–Dhorpatan road in Lumbini, Rs 404.1 million has been allocated, and for the Industrial Corridor (Commercial Route), Rs 100 million has been allocated.

Road network construction is also progressing rapidly in western Lumbini. In 2015, the four-lane Nepalgunj–Kohalpur road was completed. The Postal Highway and the Bhaluwang–Rolpa–Pyuthan road are under construction. For the Postal Highway, Rs 1.99 billion has been allocated in the current fiscal year.

The Kaligandaki Corridor is also part of Lumbini’s road to prosperity. The cost of the Gaidakot–Ramdi–Maldhunga section of the corridor is Rs 25 billion. The construction of this 293-kilometer-long road started in the fiscal year 2009/10 and is scheduled to be completed in 2026/27.
The Pipaldanda–Gaidakot (135 kilometers) road, which falls in Lumbini Province, was blacktopped three years ago. This fiscal year, Rs 981.1 million has been allocated for the corridor. This is the story of Lumbini’s roads.

‘Prime Minister should travel the Surkhet-Jumla road’

The story of Karnali, which borders Lumbini, is a stark contrast. The Ratna Highway (Surkhet–Kohalpur road), in operation since 1976 and connecting Karnali with Lumbini, is in a severely dilapidated condition. The road, which accommodates about 500 vehicles daily, has an average width of just five meters.

In January 2025, the Department of Roads submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report to the Ministry of Forests and Environment for the purpose of upgrading the highway.

The Department has estimated a cost of around Rs 6 billion to upgrade the road to a width of seven meters. Although it has proposed completing the construction within four years, the government has not prioritized the project. In the current fiscal year, only Rs 10 million has been allocated for the Surkhet–Kohalpur road.

Once inside Karnali via the Ratna Highway, the government’s neglect becomes even more evident. The Karnali Highway (Surkhet–Jumla road), the Karnali Corridor (Khulalu–Simikot road), and the Chhinchu–Jajarkot–Dolpa road are vital lifelines for the region. However, all three have fallen victim to prolonged government neglect.

It took 15 years just to open the track of the 232-kilometer-long Surkhet–Jumla road. Inaugurated on April 13, 2007, the road has yet to be blacktopped. Initially notorious for construction delays, it has since earned the nickname “Death Road.” According to data from Karnali Province Police, around 900 people have died in separate accidents along this road up to April 2025.

Despite its deteriorating condition and urgent need for upgrades, the government has paid little attention to the Surkhet–Jumla road. The Department of Roads conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for upgrading the stretch from Bangesimal in Surkhet to Sain in Dailekh back in 2022. However, instead of proceeding with upgrades, the government has continued spending on general annual maintenance for nearly two decades.

From fiscal year 2020/21 to 2024/25, a total of Rs 1.96 billion has been spent on maintenance of this road. Of that, Rs 962.4 million went toward the Bangesimal–Dahikhola (Dailekh) section, managed by the Surkhet office of the Road Project, while Rs 997.6 million was spent on the Dahikhola–Khalanga section, overseen by the Jumla office.

This amount was spent on various types of maintenance, including occasional, special, periodic, emergency maintenance, as well as upgrading and rehabilitation. “This road is already in a dilapidated condition because temporary paving cannot withstand the traffic,” said Khum Bahadur Bhandari, head of the Surkhet Division Office. “The maintenance budget that comes every year is only used for patchwork. If the road is not upgraded now, the people here will continue to suffer in the name of connectivity.”

The statement of Ain Bahadur Shahi, a local resident of Galje village in Tilagufa Municipality, Kalikot, reflects the ongoing hardship. Living in a house beside the road, he is forced to endure dust and pollution every day. In a conversation with Nepal News in May 2025, he said, “To understand the condition of this road, the Prime Minister should be brought from Surkhet to Jumla by car. Only then will he realize the suffering of the people of Karnali.”

The southern section of the corridor, the 132-kilometer Khulalu-Sallisalla road, is estimated to cost Rs 15 billion to upgrade to two lanes and be fully blacktopped. Due to a lack of budget, construction progress has been very slow.

Bishnu Singh Majhi, from Rakam village in Aathbiskot Municipality, Dailekh, believes that the Surkhet–Jumla road, which is considered the backbone of Karnali Province, can no longer be repaired—it must be completely reconstructed. He says the main reason the road has remained in the same poor condition for two decades after the track was opened is due to the state’s continued neglect.

Majhi adds, “The state still does not consider the people of Karnali to be human beings. If it did, the condition of this road would never have been allowed to deteriorate like this.”

The government has not allocated an adequate budget for the Surkhet–Jumla road. This year, only Rs 350 million has been set aside—just one-third of the total amount required for maintenance. Another persistent issue is that contractors assigned to the project often fail to complete the work on time. According to Khum Bahadur Bhandari, head of the Surkhet Division Office, six contracts that remained incomplete over the past year and a half have been cancelled.

The Karnali Corridor has just become operational after two and a half decades. The corridor was completed on July 6, 2025, when Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated a bridge built over the Chuwakhola River in Humla. Although the 278-kilometer-long corridor’s track has been opened, it is not yet suitable for year-round operation.

The southern section of the corridor, the 132-kilometer Khulalu-Sallisalla road, is estimated to cost Rs 15 billion to upgrade to two lanes and be fully blacktopped. Due to a lack of budget, construction progress has been very slow. While the project aimed for completion by the fiscal year 2027/28, only 3% of the physical work had been completed by 2023/24, with financial progress at just 2.2%.

The Nepal Army has taken responsibility for the Lalibagar-Dullikuna and Ghatparichaur-Badarigaun-Bhukakhola sections of the southern corridor.

The northern section of the Karnali Corridor (Hilsa-Simikot road) is 146 kilometers long. Construction of this section, which needs to be upgraded to two lanes, blacktopped, and have 18 bridges built, started in 2012/13. The estimated cost to upgrade it, including blacktopping, is Rs 15 billion. However, physical progress until the fiscal year 2024/25 has been disappointing.

The Surkhet-Dailekh Bazaar-Mahabulekh-Galje-Bhattadi-Nagme-Gamgadi-Nachellagna road, important for tourism and strategic purposes, has also faced budget shortages. This year, Rs 282.5 million has been allocated for its construction. The Bheri Corridor (Jajarkot-Dunai-Marim-Tije road) has also not been prioritized by the government, receiving Rs 466.8 million in allocations.

Karnali’s roads have turned into ‘death roads’ rather than being upgraded, due to budget constraints. In contrast, neighboring Lumbini Province’s roads have received substantial funding.

In this fiscal year’s budget, Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel has allocated an excessive amount to his home district, Rupandehi, and the roads of his home province. Under the “Highway Upgrading and Rehabilitation Program,” Rs 1.328 billion has been allocated to 24 roads in Lumbini, while only Rs 434 million has been allocated to 13 roads in Karnali.

Specifically, the Highway Upgrading and Rehabilitation Program allocates Rs 300 million for the Bhumahi-Parasi road, Rs 350 million for the Bhaluwang-Nuwakot Khandaha road, Rs 250 million for the Lamahi-Ghorahi road, Rs 840 million for the Taulihawa-Gorusinge-Sandhikharka road, Rs 10.6 million for the Bartung-Tansen-Ridi-Wamitaksar-Kharbang road, Rs 90 million for the Ridi-Balkot-Hanshpur-Pyuthan road, and Rs 60 million for the Bhimad-Rampur-Mityal-Arunakhola road.

In Lumbini, 81 roads are included under the “Alternative Auxiliary Highway Development Program,” with Rs 2.430 billion allocated for them. Under the same program, only 22 roads in Karnali are included, with Rs 830 million allocated. Through this program, Rs 160 million has been allocated to the Tinau-Danav River Corridor-India Border Road and Rs 60 million to the Ramapur-Lumbini-Kakahawa road.

Similar discrimination is visible in the “Election Constituency Strategic Road (ECS Road)” program. While Rs 639 million was allocated to 26 roads in Lumbini, only Rs 324.9 million was given to 13 roads in Karnali.

Karnali’s roads have turned into ‘death roads’ rather than being upgraded, due to budget constraints. In contrast, neighboring Lumbini Province’s roads have received substantial funding.

Former National Planning Commission member Min Bahadur Shahi says Karnali has been sidelined in development for two main reasons. First is the state’s development perspective. The state should build plans based on a “life-based approach,” meaning development should occur where people live and connect with their way of life. However, Nepal’s development has followed a “cost-benefit approach” (favoring economically profitable areas), preventing development from reaching remote and less populated areas like Karnali.

Second, Karnali lacks access to policy-making and decision-making levels of the state for large development projects. When Shahi was a Planning Commission member, he saw that development proposals from Karnali often did not reach policymakers. He believes the public is unaware of the overall development process, political leaders lack effective initiative, and the bureaucracy tends to ignore Karnali.

“The natural attachment of the bureaucracy is toward centers of political power. It takes proposals for plans and budgets only from those with access,” he explains. “There seems to be a lack of political leadership at that level that thinks about Karnali’s overall development.”

Former Karnali Chief Minister Jeevan Bahadur Shahi says the government has forgotten a basic principle: a state needs both people and land. “The government has never considered that there are people in Karnali who need facilities, including roads,” he says. “It’s not that Karnali lacked access to the center, but rather that the government itself lacked access to Karnali.”

Interestingly, five years after Shahi was asked for an explanation, the budget for fiscal year 2005/06 announced a plan to “accelerate the construction of modern roads to connect all potential passes from west to east to develop Nepal as a transit area between China and India.”

However, only 40 percent of the Karnali Corridor and Bheri Corridor—considered Karnali’s lifelines—have been completed. Work such as building culverts, bridges, and blacktopping remains pending. Shahi calls it a tragedy that the government allocates funds to the Karnali Corridor as if “throwing seeds,” needing at least Rs 80 to 100 million annually, but contractors’ negligence means work remains unfinished.