Gorkha, Nov 6: A packet of salt that sells for Rs 30 to 35 in most markets costs as much as Rs 200 in remote villages of northern Gorkha, where the absence of roads leaves residents dependent on mule transport.
The Salt Trading Corporation has fixed the price of Aayo salt at Rs 26 per kilogram, New Shakti at Rs 20 and Bhanu at Rs 9. But in Chumnubri Rural Municipality, Aayo salt costs Rs 60 to Rs 200 a packet, depending on the settlement.
In Samagaun and Samdo, near the Tibetan border, a packet costs Rs 200. Resident Nima Dorje said transporting it from Pangsang to Samdo alone costs Rs 100. Further charges apply for transport from Arughat and Arkhet to Pangsang.
In Lho, a packet sells for Rs 150. Residents of Bihi pay Rs 100 in winter, while prices in Prok range from Rs 100 to Rs 170. Kalden Chhewang said mule fares from Pangsang rise from Rs 25 per kilogram in winter to Rs 70 during the monsoon.
Residents of Chhule and Nile pay Rs 180 to Rs 200 per packet. Transport from Pangsang costs Rs 60 per kilogram. The rate is Rs 55 for Lama Gaun and Rs 50 for Chekam, where a packet costs Rs 150. In Chumling, salt sells for Rs 100 a packet, with transport costing Rs 30 per kilogram.
The government subsidises transport to supply affordable salt to remote settlements. The corporation has sent 350 quintals of Aayo salt to Sirdibas this fiscal year, said Sagar Serchan, its Gandaki Province chief. It supplies salt at Rs 28 per kilogram, while the government covers transport costs from Pokhara to Sirdibas.
The subsidy, however, does not reach most settlements beyond Sirdibas. Pasang Phunjo Lama of Chhekampar said subsidised salt is transported only as far as Jagat. Samagaun and Samdo are another four days away, while Chhekampar takes three days to reach.
Six of Chumnubri’s seven wards remain without road access. Although the Nepal Army has opened a track from Philim towards Pewas, vehicles reach only Pangsang. Work on extending the Benighat, Arughat and Larke road towards Larke Pass has also stalled amid budget and funding uncertainty.
Even in Philim, the rural municipality’s administrative centre, a packet costs Rs 60 because of transport charges from Arkhet. In more remote settlements, traders rely on mules. Samagaun trader Bir Bahadur Lama said transporting goods to Samagaun and Samdo costs about Rs 100 per kilogram and takes three days.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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