Mustang: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has announced that preparations are underway to fully operationalize the Korala checkpoint in Mustang, with plans to develop the necessary infrastructure and facilities.
According to National News Agency Nepal, PM Oli made this announcement during discussions with a delegation of federal parliamentarians representing Mustang and local level people’s representatives at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar. He highlighted several initiatives he had spearheaded in Mustang, including the construction of the Benighat-Korala road, facilitating Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Muktinath, launching the Muktinath cable car project, and prioritizing the development of a Super Zone for apples and a mountain goat farming project.
The delegation, led by Prime Minister Oli, urged the government to reconsider tourism royalties due to a decline in tourist arrivals after the upper region of Mustang, including Lomanthang and Lho-Ghekar Damodar Kunda Rural Municipality, was declared a prohibited area with a fee of 500 US dollars imposed on foreign tourists. They also advocated for the blacktopping of the Kagbeni-Korala road section under the Kaligandaki Corridor and the construction of structures necessary for the full operation of the Korala checkpoint. The need for physical infrastructure for customs, immigration, integrated security posts, and dry ports at the Korala border transit point was also emphasized.
During the discussions, elected representatives shared that hotels and local businesses in Upper Mustang have suffered losses due to the incomplete operation of roads and the border checkpoint, as well as the implementation of restricted areas. In response, Prime Minister Oli directed his private secretariat to coordinate with relevant bodies to address these demands.
Recently, a team led by the Prime Minister’s personal secretary, Binod Bahadur Kunwar, conducted a field study visit of the Kaligandaki Corridor and prepared a report on the initiatives needed for the operation of roads and the border check post.
The delegation included federal Member of Parliament Yogendra Gauchan Thakali, chairman of Lomanthang rural municipality Tashinhurbu Gurung, and Lopsang Chhompel Bista, among others. They noted that the contract for the 97-kilometer blacktopping of the Kagbeni-Korala road section is still pending, and with the termination of contracts for the construction of bridges over the Tatopani River, Danakhola, Pandakhola, and Tangbe River, it is necessary to restart the work.