Surkhet, June 14 -- year-old Sanduk Tamang of ward 3 of Mugum Karmarong Rural Municipality in Mugu, reaching the district headquarters in Gamgadhi requires a gruelling two-day walk. By comparison, he can reach Nakche Nangla on the Chinese border in a single day.

Yet with the border crossing closed and no motorable road linking the area to the rest of the district, Tamang and thousands of others must undertake risky journeys along narrow mountain trails to buy food and daily necessities.

"We are forced to travel to the headquarters risking our lives on treacherous mountain paths. Without a road, there is no alternative but to use mules to transport goods," Tamang said. "If the road from Gamgadhi to our villages were completed, we would n...