SIMIKOT, Humla, Oct 18 – As part of Food for Work Programme, thirty metric tons of food-grain reached recently at Nepal-Tibet border-town, Hilsa, from United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) for the construction of 65 kilometre long Simikot-Hilsa road which links Tibetan border town with the headquarters of Humla, according to District Development Committee.
WFP’s Residential Representative to Nepal Douglas Cosson Contts said that the food grain brought here via Kathmandu-Tibet surface route would be stored at Nepal’s remotest village Yari.
The food-grain is the first lot of proposed 350 metric tons of food allocated this year for the construction of eight km section of the Simikot-Hilsa road. Contts said that another lot of 150 metric tons of food-grain would reach the border town within a few days.
Talking to The Kathmandu Post Contts said although the government had requested the WFP to provide short-term assistance to five food-deficit districts of Karnali zone, his organisation formulated a two pronged-policy–temporary solution to the famine and long-term development of the region.
He said WFP selected Humla as its starting point as the district is very close to the international road in Tibet. He added that other four districts of the zone can immensely benefit once the Simikot-Hilsa road comes into operation.
“Humla will be the first district in the region to come into international contact and to resume the ancient border trade with Tibet,” Contts said, adding there would be great change in the standard of life of the Humlis after the completion of the road.
As per the agreement reached between WFP and Humla District Development Committee, the former will provide food grain while the latter will provide cash to the labourers.DDC Chairman Jivan Bahadur Shahi said that four kilograms of food-grain along with four rupees would be given to a labourer per day.
Earlier, the DDC had already dug a kilometre long road starting from Hilsa, mobilising its own internal resources. This is the first time that the people of Humla have received such a large chunk of food-grain via Kathmandu-Tibet surface route. Nepal Food Corporation had, a few months ago, called for tender to transport 500 quintals of food to Simikot via the Tibetan route. But the corporation cancelled the bid without any reason.