KATHMANDU: Home Minister Sudan Gurung said that the lack of road networks in Himalayan districts is the primary reason for the high cost of essential goods, including salt.
Speaking to reporters after a greeting exchange program organized by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) on Saturday, he stated that residents in these regions face significant challenges in transporting daily necessities due to poor infrastructure.
Gurung noted that in many parts of the Himalayan districts, the absence of roads forces people to carry goods manually.
He highlighted that this is a common issue affecting regions such as Mustang and Mugu. ‘Salt is not easily available everywhere in the Himalayan districts. Where there are villages, there are no roads. It takes time to build roads, but supplies must be delivered,’ he said.
Citing the example of Mustang, the minister mentioned that in the past, the price of a unit of salt used to range between Rs 200 and Rs 400. He expressed confidence that the construction of roads would ease transportation and help reduce the prices of essential items. ‘The situation in Mugu is even worse. The government will change this fate,’ he added.
The minister claimed that the government has allocated a budget to address the problems faced by citizens in the Himalayan region. However, he urged patience, noting that it takes time for the budget to be implemented and for results to become visible. ‘We have not said that we can reach everything up to the roads within 6 months. But we can take initiatives and put budget into roads to move the work forward,’ he said.
Gurung emphasized that the government is focused on solving the overall problems faced by the people in the Himalayan region, not just the issue of salt prices. He stated that the Prime Minister and relevant ministers are working to address the hardships of these citizens.
He expressed his belief that with the expansion of road networks, the problems related to transportation and the high cost of living in the region will be gradually resolved.
