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Surkhet: The provincial and federal governments’ plans to expand the runway of a key airport in Karnali Province is in limbo after residents living near the airport protested against the idea.

A budget of around Rs 1 billion allocated for the expansion of Surkhet Airport’s runway has been frozen due to lack of progress in the project this fiscal year. The Karnali state government had allocated Rs 500 million and the central government Rs 510 million for the expansion work. 

Currently, airports in Karnali Province are small and their runways do not support big aircraft. After it was named the province’s capital, the provincial government planned to expand the airport so that big aircraft could also land in Karnali. The runway is only 1,255 meters long and does not support the landing of big aircraft. The government plans to increase the length of the runway to 1,555 meters. 

At the heart of the controversy is the government decision to acquire 30 bighas (12.5 acres) of land for the expansion work. Around 200 households living on the soon-to-be-acquired land are demanding that the government provide adequate compensation for their land. However, officials and the land owners are yet to reach a consensus on the issue.

If the obstruction continues, the project may not kick off even in the next fiscal year, officials warn. The federal government has said it has allocated a budget for the airport for the coming new fiscal year, but the amount allocated has not been confirmed.

However, Civil Aviation Authority, Surkhet, expects work to start from the new fiscal year. Umesh Kumar Panthi from the authority said that the expansion work will be completed as the central government has already allocated a budget for it. 

The Karnali government has also stated that it will continue to push the plan to expand the airport. Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Sita Kumari Nepali, also the spokesperson of the government, says, “We will expand the airport in the coming fiscal year by addressing the demands of the locals.”

She says that the project will be taken forward on the basis of consensus by addressing the demands of the locals. “The government is ready to address the demands of the locals,” she adds. “The airport will be expanded based on consensus.”

Mamata Sunar of Birendranagar-6, Surkhet, in Karnali Province still has to endure caste-based discrimination in her daily life. She is discriminated against by non-Dalits in the neighborhood.

When she crosses paths with her neighbors, they sprinkle gold-infused water on it before walking. In the public wells and water-sprouts, Mamata only gets her turn after the so-called higher castes have filled their utensils.

The law does not recognize the insults and discrimination suffered by Mamata. Mamata, born into a Dalit family who have been given the tag of low-caste for centuries now, has had to endure the curse of untouchability in her village and community. “The books of law say Nepal is free from untouchability, but in practice, it is still prevalent. Dalits like myself are discriminated against in our own localities,” she says.

The sufferings of Batuli Sunar from Birendranagar-2 are similar. Even though the law prohibits any discrimination based on the caste system, the community she lives in has not accepted it. “We have to be careful not to touch others while walking on public roads,” Batuli says. For her, the discrimination laws against Dalits are as good as non-existent. It is because of non-implementation of laws at local levels, she believes. “The law is limited to paper and has never been applied in practice,” Batuli says, “When the state does not implement the law properly, the perpetrators are not punished and we have to suffer eternally.”

“The government only makes laws but doesn’t enforce them in practice,” adds Shanti Badi of Birendranagar-11. “While the government is silent, caste discrimination is same as it was in the past. Non-Dalits are taking advantage of them being so called high-caste.” The laws against caste-based discriminations are not being implemented due to the incompetence of the state, Shanti believes.

Lal Bahadur Nepali of Birendranagar-11 agrees with Shanti. The law has always been systemically discriminatory against Dalits, he believes. “Even when Dalits go to seek justice, they do not get anything. Police and CDOs do not register cases of caste discrimination in collusion,” he says.

Ratna Badi, a resident of Birendranagar-6, complains that discrimination against Dalits have not ended because of the state alone. “Many rules have been made to eliminate discrimination, but the state never implements them properly,” she says. “Because of the state, the Dalits have been living in humiliations for years. If the state doesn’t pay heed to us, who will listen to our pain?”

A Dalit child who was beaten for entering the kitchen of a non-Dalit some time ago in in Barahatal of Surkhet | Annapurna File Photo

Dalits are still discriminated against and insulted in public places, communities and neighborhoods because of their caste. Despite increasing public awareness about caste-based discrimination, discrimination against Dalits has not ended yet. Dalit rights activists claim that the nexus of caste discrimination has not been broken in the communities even now. This is the reason why non-Dalits have not stopped attacking Dalits, they say.

Even now, in most places of Karnali, Dalits are despised and humiliated in water sprouts, schools, roads and also at the policy making level of the state. Even the Dalit people’s representatives at the local level are falling prey to systemic casteism.

Karnali State Assembly member Sita Nepali says, “After federalism, there was a political change in the country, but there was no change in the attitude towards Dalits. Due to non-implementation of discrimination laws, we have not been able to enjoy the rights and entitlements given to us by the constitution.”

Incessant hail and rain destroyed apple blossoms back in May, resulting in a drastic reduction in apple production in the Karnali province this year. Apple prices, as a result, have gone up. Farmers in the area complain about scant production and lost income. Most of the produce from remote areas has to be airlifted to nearby markets, which makes transfer of low volumes unfeasible.

In the Karnali region, most apples are grown in Jumla, which produced 12,000 metric tons last year. But this year, only 5,000 metric tons have been produced. Chief of the Agriculture Development Office, Jumla, Bala Karam Devkota says apple prices have gone up after the decline in production. In Jumla, per/kg prices have been fixed at Rs 160 for A grade, Rs 155 for B grade and Rs 150 for C grade apples. According to Devkota, apple prices may further increase due to declining supply.

Similarly, 1,450 metric tons of apples were produced in Humla last year. This year, this volume has been halved. In Mugu—which yielded 1,500 metric tons of apples last year—production has declined by 70 percent. Chief of the District Agriculture Development Office, Mugu, Panchlal Budha informs that apples will not be exported to other districts this year due to low production. Buddhi Budathoki, assistant technical officer at the same office, adds that only 400 metric tons of apples were produced in Dolpa this year, compared to 3,296 metric tons last year.

Organic apples are produced in hugs quantities in Jumla, Dolpa, Mugu, Kalikot and Humla of Karnali province. But this year, apple production has dropped by about 70 percent. Bala Karam Devkota, chief of the Agriculture Development Office, Jumla, attributes this to the hail and rain in May that destroyed apple blossoms. “This year has been very bad for apple farmers,” says Devkota.

Devkota says commercial farmers have been hit hard. Most farmers in Jumla had only just started growing apples on a commercial scale. Apples produced in Karnali are sold in cities including Surkhet, Nepalgunj, Pokhara and Kathmandu.

The concerned District Agriculture Development Offices have been providing free packaging materials to farmers for apple export. Apples of varieties like Red Delicious, Golden and Chocolate are cultivated in the Karnali region.