Kalikot, October 2:

Many people in Kalikot are in no mood to celebrate Dashain due to the food shortage that has been plaguing the district since a long time.

Food crisis has been continuing here due to the disruption in transport service caused by landslides at various places.

Villagers are forced to go to Dailekh and Achham districts to buy foodstuff.

Besides the problem, they said, prices of consumer goods have soared in the markets.

Chairman of Kalikot Chambers of Commerce and Industry Karna Bahadur Bista said, “One kg of sugar costs Rs 140. The cost of one kg of rice also ranges from Rs 45 to 110 and a litre of cooking oil costs Rs 110 to 250 in the markets.”

“Rice has not been supplied to the district adequately. Merely 500 quintals of rice was supplied here that lasted for 10 days only,” he said.

“The stock of 20 quintals of rice in district-based depot of the Nepal Food Corporation ran out on Monday,” he said. Karna called on the authority concerned to immediately ease food shortage.

Due to the food shortage, many villagers are not bothered about celebrating Dashain and instead have been thronging neighbouring districts.

“People seem less interested to celebrate the festivals as food materials are lacking in the villages,” said a local, Devendra Shahi of Daha-5.

“As there is no food in the district, I have come to Dailekh to purchase food items like rice, sugar and cooking oil,” Shahi said.