Humla, Oct 2: As many as 41 Nepali have been stranded in Humla’s northern border point, Hilsa, due to incessant rain with heavy snowfall. Immigration Officer Bimal Paudel shared that they could not move ahead from Hilsa with disruption in Hilsa-Taklakot route. According to him, those stranded in Hilsa are residents of Namkha Rural Municipality-1, 2, and 3. Most of them have been engaging in business in Taklakot.
He informed they reached Hilsa last Friday but were stopped at the border when snowfall started. The Chinese side has closed travel for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage due to snow. Immigration staff Pema Lama, working in Hilsa, said the border is expected to reopen from October 4. Although work is underway to open the road on the China side, it is expected to take longer on the Nepal side.
According to Armed Police Force (APF)’s Deputy Superintendent of Police Nanda Bahadur Saud, roughly 2 to 2.5 feet of snow has accumulated in Hilsa. Since one has to cross Nara Lake to reach Hilsa, it will take more time to clear the snow there, Lama shared. Locals and security personnel are engaging efforts to clear the snow and resume the road operation.
So far this year, 6,010 people have visited Kailash Mansarovar through Hilsa border. According to Immigration Officer Paudel, most of the tourists going to Kailash Mansarovar are Indian citizens, followed by people from the UK, the US, and Nepal. With the main season for Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage coming to an end this year, heavy snowfall has affected traffic at the Hilsa border as well as local trade and everyday life in the border area.
