Government begins food transportation to remote Nagukshetra in Darchula
Darchula: The government has initiated food transportation to Nagukshetra in Naugad Rural Municipality-1 of Darchula, an area not connected by a road network. The move comes after local residents warned of boycotting elections if their demands were not addressed.
Locals had been raising demands for infrastructure development, including food supply, roads, schools, suspension bridges and other facilities, during gatherings held on Magh 1 and 17. Following this, a meeting of the District Food Management Committee on Magh 18, led by District Coordination Committee Chief Mahadev Badu, decided to begin food transportation to Nagukshetra.
Harkaraj Upadhyay, Chief of the Food Management and Trading Company Branch Office in Darchula, informed that transportation is currently underway. In the first phase, 33 sacks of rice have been dispatched to the area.
According to Upadhyay, transportation of one thousand quintals of food has been initiated for Ward No. 1. The work is being carried out through CK Construction, which is delivering rice for distribution in Nagu, Parimela and Earkot areas. The Food Corporation is providing coarse rice at a rate of Rs 62 per kilogram.
The price has been fixed at Rs 1,550 per bag. Ward No. 1 Chairman Harilal Mahata said that food transportation is ongoing in the village. Rice is currently being transported to Sundamunda in Naugad-1 by jeep and tractor, and from Parimela to village shops using mules.
Although rice had previously been transported to other depots in Darchula, it was not delivered to Nagu. Upadhyay stated that the Food Management and Trading Company had invited bids twice during the current fiscal year for transportation to Nagu depot, but no transporter submitted a proposal due to the low transportation rate set for the depot.
The company had issued a bid setting transportation costs at Rs 2,100 per quintal. However, when the second bid was announced last October, no proposals were registered, and transportation was halted.
Rural Municipality Chairman Daljit Singh Dhami said contractors had not participated in the tender process due to the high cost of transporting food by mules and manual labor in the absence of road access. He added that the contractor had also refused the contract last year, citing transportation losses. The Nagu area is considered the most remote settlement in Naugad.
Meanwhile, local residents have raised concerns that the rice supplied by the government is priced higher than market rates. Local resident Karan Singh Dadal stated that rice is available in the market at Rs 58 per kilogram, while the Food Corporation is selling it at Rs 62 per kilogram.
During a recent visit by a team led by Chief District Officer Anil Poudel, locals requested a revision of the rice price. “This area is equally remote. We have drawn attention to the need for price adjustment, stating that the government should provide rice at a subsidized rate. However, it is more expensive than commercial rice, which will create problems,” Dadal said.