BAJURA: Neither local nor provincial government have shown any interest to open the obstructed Martadi-Kolti road section which has been blocked for more than three months. The road obstruction has created a severe scarcity of daily necessities and high inflation of available limited goods in the northern region of Bajura, Humla, and Khatyad region of Mugu district. Tractors and jeeps run on the road section during the winters but it gets completely obstructed during rainy season every year. According to a local trader, Mana BK, the road obstruction has resulted in acute scarcity of goods in the major market of the northern region, Kolti, and price of available goods have been hiked up to 50 per cent. The transportation cost from Martadi to Kolti was Rs 5 per kilogram previously via tractor which has now increased to Rs 30/kg using porters and mules. The transport cost to other rural markets is much higher, added another local trader. Health services are mostly affected by the road obstruction due to lack of health personnel in the region. Patients need to be carried for four to five days in order to take them to Martadi-based health facilities. Even after spending around 330 million in nearly two decades, parts of the 43-kilometre (km) road section are either closed or obstructed, lamented the locals. The road section, foundation stone of which was laid on February 19, 2000, by the then district chairperson Lal Bahadur Thapa, is still in limbo.