Road to Mustang's remote Sangta Village Reopens After Four Months of Snow Blockade

Baglung. The road leading to Sangta village in Mustang has been opened after four months. Two machines were used for six days to clear this road, which was blocked by heavy snowfall on Kartik 11. Snowfall occurred repeatedly in this area even after Kartik.

Since the locals of Sangta village had moved to the city in the first week of Kartik to escape the cold, the road was not kept open for a long time. However, as the election date approached, the road was cleared starting from Fagun 11 with the cooperation of the Road Division Office, Baglung, and Baragung Muktikshetra Rural Municipality, using machinery.

According to Surendra Gurung, Chairman of Baragung Muktikshetra Rural Municipality-5, it took a long time to clear the road because up to eight feet of snow had accumulated on the approximately 9-kilometer stretch. He informed that the road up to Sukasamba, near the border connecting to Dolpa via Sangta village, has been opened.

Chairman Gurung said, 'There was very thick snow on the road; we barely managed to clear it in six days. I have just returned from Sangta village; now vehicles can easily reach this village. We have also cleared some sections of the road above that leads to Dolpa. If there is no more snowfall, the election can be conducted smoothly.'

Chairman Gurung stated that the locals who had gone to places like Pokhara and Kathmandu to escape the cold will start returning to the village from Tuesday. As the cold subsides, the process of those currently in cities and towns returning will begin.

Due to the blocked road, the Election Monitoring Committee was unable to monitor the polling station in Sangta village. Now, a team along with security personnel will visit and monitor the polling station on Monday.

Sangta village has 13 households, with a total population of 70, including 39 voters. Sangta village can be reached from the district headquarters Jomsom by a two-hour drive.

Staff to be Deployed at Polling Stations Starting Monday

The District Election Office, Mustang, has already assigned staff for the election. According to the Chief of the Election Office, Lokendra Gyawali, staff will be deployed to the polling stations starting Monday. Preparations are underway to deploy staff from Monday morning at the 25 polling stations located in Lomanthang, Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda, and Baragung Muktikshetra Rural Municipalities in Upper Mustang. Chief Gyawali stated that the polling officers assigned to Upper Mustang were handed over the necessary materials on Sunday.

Chief Gyawali said, 'We will start sending staff for the remote centers towards the polling sites from Monday. Staff for nearby centers will be deployed from Tuesday. The polling officers assigned to Upper Mustang were handed over the necessary materials on Sunday itself. They will depart from Jomsom early Monday morning.'

Chief Gyawali stated that staff for the polling stations in the Lower Mustang's Ghapajhong and Thasang Rural Municipalities will be deployed starting Tuesday. These two municipalities have 15 polling stations. Election materials will be handed over to the polling officers assigned to the lower region on Monday.

Due to the blocked road, the Election Office had discussed with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Election Commission about sending voters and ballot papers to Sangta village via helicopter. However, now that the road is open, they can reach by vehicle, said Chief District Officer Ajita Sharma. She added that if there is no more snowfall, the election can be conducted smoothly.

Chief District Officer Sharma said, 'We had discussed with the Election Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding sending ballot papers and managing voters via helicopter because the road was blocked by snowfall in Sangta village and two other locations in Upper Mustang. The weather is good now, and since the road opened from 5 PM, there might not be a need for a helicopter.'