‘No Vote, No Tower’ campaign launched in Bichhaya, Bajura ahead of elections

Bajura: Residents of Bichhaya, one of the most remote areas of Bajura district, have collectively demanded the construction of roads and installation of phone towers from candidates contesting in the House of Representatives elections scheduled for Falgun 21. Locals have urged all candidates and political parties visiting the village for campaign purposes to ensure road connectivity and communication towers in each ward.

Himali Rural Municipality-1, 2, and 3 (formerly Bichhaya VDC) remain disconnected from the national road network. Although a phone tower has been installed in Bichhaya, several remote villages still lack telephone services. Residents state that their longstanding demands for road access and communication towers have not been addressed by political parties.

Dhyan Bahadur Rokaya of Baudi, Himali Rural Municipality-3, said that roads and phone towers remain the primary demands this election. Bichhaya covers about 35 percent of Bajura’s total geographical area, and traveling from one village to another can take more than a day. While a temporary road has been opened up to the Humla border, none of the wards in Bichhaya currently have road access.

Sajan Budthapa, a local resident, said, “Our main demand is a road. We are suffering a lot due to the lack of a road.”

Gumba village in Himali Rural Municipality-3 still lacks telephone service. In response, locals have launched a ‘No Vote, No Tower’ campaign. Jagat Lama said, “There is no tower in our village. It has been agreed that we will not vote if a tower is not built. We have discussed the issue of a phone tower with all the candidates. Even if the road does not seem possible immediately, we have requested that at least a tower be built.”

There are 671 voters in Himali Rural Municipality-1, 657 in Ward-2, and 551 in Ward-3. Two polling stations have been set up in Wards 1 and 3, and one polling station in Ward-2. Electricity services have reached most areas except Gumba village. A year ago, Kaduri Agricultural and Association British Gorkhas Nepal expanded electricity services in Bichhaya with an investment of approximately Rs 140 million.

The former Bichhaya VDC continues to face a lack of road access, education, health, and communication infrastructure. Ward-3 Chairman Mangal Bahadur Budha stated, “If there were transportation facilities, many patients would have received timely treatment. The problem of deaths on the road would have ended.”