BAJURA, JUNE 29
Acute food crisis has hit locals hard after contractors failed to supply rice on time to Himali Rural Municipality, Bajura.
Dhan Lal Rokaya, a local, said people had been facing food crisis for the last three months after the contractors at Kawadi Temporary Depot did not supply rice on time. The locals of wards 1, 2 and 3 of the rural municipality faced acute food crisis after the subsidised rice did not reach the depot. Similarly, food crisis has also hit Tajakot Rural Municipality, Humla, hard.
People are compelled to return to their houses empty handed due to lack of rice in the depot. Around 4,500 quintals rice was demanded for Kawadi Temporary Depot this fiscal, while the contractor supplied only 2,800 qunitals rice.
Acting Chief at Food Management and Trade Company Limited, Bajura, Santosh BK said that Kawadi depot ran out of rice due to negligence on the part of contractors. He said that locals faced food crisis in the rainy season every year because the suppliers failed to supply the quota of rice fixed for the depot.
LB Construction Adanchuli, Humla, has taken responsibility to supply rice. According to Food Management and Trade Company Limited, rice could not be supplied due to fuel price hike and incessant rain. The locals are compelled to buy rice at an exorbitant price due to shortage of rice in the depot.
Amma Lal Budthapa, a local, said that 25 people including him, visited Bichhaya, but returned empty-handed. Food crisis has hit more than 4,000 people of Bichhaya Rural Municipality.
Himali Rural Municipality is very far from Martadi. It takes a week to reach the rural municipality from the district headquarters.
Chief District Officer Prakash Chandra Adhikari said information about food shortage had reached the office and the office had taken initiative to address the problem.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 30, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
