Simikot, October 25 Vice-president Nanda Bahadur Pun laid the foundation stone for a model school block of Manasarovar Secondary School in Simikot of Humla district today. On the occasion, Vice-president Pun said although Humla lagged behind in terms of production in the past, it would not have to face problems in the coming days. He urged the central government and Karnali Province government to expedite development of Humla district which is not yet connected to road networks. Vice-president Pun reiterated that the Karnali Corridor masterplan, a national pride project, has already been included in the central government’s priority list. According to him, project implementation has accelerated and completion of construction of around 70-80 kilometres road stretch was being awaited to connect it with Humla. He shared that the federal and Karnali Province governments planned to develop it as a highway that would connect India and China. He was of the view that top priority should be given to the Karnali Corridor as Humla provided a short and convenient route to Lake Manasarovar, a famous Hindu pilgrimage site. “Once the corridor comes into operation, there will be good flow of pilgrims to Kailash and Manasarovar via the route and it will not only usher in economic progress for Humla, but for the entire Karnali Province. The vice-president also visited the Hilsa transit point. Meanwhile, Karnali Province Chief Minister Mahendra Bahadur Shahi announced that a model school would be built in every district of the province. “Karnali Province is home to numerous tourist destinations and is enriched by natural beauty and ancient civilisation,” he said, stating that Karnali was the place of origin of language and culture and it should be promoted. He pledged to connect Humla with the national road network within a year.