Karnali Paves 345 km of Roads, Collects NPR 350m Transport Revenue

Karnali Province expanded its blacktopped road network to 345 kilometres by the end of fiscal year 2025/26 while collecting over NPR 350 million in transport revenue, according to annual progress reports from the provincial Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Urban Development.

Coverage by The Rising Nepal and Gorkhapatra indicates that 96 kilometres of roads were blacktopped during FY 2025/26 (2082/83 BS), adding to the 249 kilometres completed by the close of FY 2024/25. The provincial capital of Surkhet led with 29 kilometres of paved roads, followed by Salyan with 21 kilometres, Dailekh with 17 kilometres, and Jumla with 2.5 kilometres. Other districts registered limited blacktopping: Rukum West completed 1.7 kilometres, Dolpa 1.2 kilometres, Mugu 0.9 kilometres, Jajarkot 0.7 kilometres, and Humla 0.2 kilometres, while Kalikot recorded none.

Beyond paved routes, Karnali opened 3,417 kilometres of earthen tracks and gravelled 822 kilometres of road, alongside drainage and upgrade works across 854 kilometres, according to ministry secretary Arjun Kumar Bam (identified as Arjun Kumar Bal in The Rising Nepal). The ministry also erected 48 suspension bridges during the year, lifting the total to 173. Humla received 10 suspension bridges, Dailekh and Dolpa seven each, Kalikot six, Surkhet and Jumla five each, Mugu and Salyan three each, and Jajarkot and Rukum West one each. Motorable bridges reached 75 province-wide, with 22 built during the last fiscal year.

In public housing, the provincial government built 509 homes under federal and provincial initiatives for disadvantaged households. Post-disaster recovery also advanced, with 82 earthquake-damaged buildings—67 community schools and 15 health posts—reconstructed across Jajarkot, Salyan, and Rukum West. Bam noted that 44 damaged facilities remain to be rebuilt during the current fiscal year.

Despite the progress, Physical Infrastructure Minister Milan Khadka said a severe shortage of technical staff was holding projects back, and that his ministry is preparing a system of rewards and penalties to deter contractor delays.

On the revenue front, reporting from Nagarik News and Ratopati English showed that Karnali's transport management offices generated NPR 350.84 million (NPR 35 crore 8 lakh) in FY 2025/26. Surkhet contributed the largest share at NPR 295.6 million, followed by Rukum West at NPR 35.79 million and Jumla at approximately NPR 20 million. Vehicle taxes generated 87.46 percent of the total revenue, while driver licensing and registration fees accounted for 10.94 percent, administrative fines 1.48 percent, and other service charges 0.21 percent.