By Lokendra Joshi
Darchula, Nov. 23: A team of enumerators has reached Chhangru and Tinkar villages of Byas Rural Municipality-1 in Darchula district on foot for conducting the census survey.
The team members reached the geographically challenging location of Tinkar and Chhangru villages on Monday after three days of continuous walk risking their life as the villages are sans any proper road network in the Nepali territory.

The census team led by assistant census officer Khagendra Karki and office assistant Lokendra Ter reached the villages.
Padam Raj Pandey, a census officer of the district, said that the team members have begun their task after they reached the location Monday afternoon. The team members have left for the villages from Khalanga, the district headquarters, on Friday.

“It takes minimum three days to take the census in the two villages,” said Pandey.
It will also be more challenging to conduct census in the villages as the locals have started migrating downstream from the villages to evade chilling cold of the winter, he said.
“We have received information that some of the villagers have already shifted to warmer areas and such locals’ status will be taken in the district headquarters,” Pandey said.
One of the enumerators, Rajendra Karki, who was unable to reach the field, has stayed at the district headquarters, and there he will take the census of those locals shifting to the district headquarters.

The Census Office, Darchula, has asked for managing a helicopter to bring back the enumerators as there is a risk of life while returning via the tough terrain.
According to the enumerators, roads on Nepal’s side were almost life threatening and they had to cross several rocky cliffs and rivers to reach the two villages, said Pandey.
There is a possibility of the arrangement of a helicopter from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) for them, said Pandey.

In absence of proper and safe road link on Nepal’s side, villagers have to use the Indian route to enter and exit from the village.
The Indian officials have objected to provide road access to conduct census in the two villages of the district. Harak Karki, a local of Byas Rural Municipality, said that it was almost impossible to reach the village taking their children and livestock with them using Nepal’s road.

Meanwhile, Chief District Officer Siddha Raj Joshi said that the locals have still been using and making their free movement with the help of their IDs and passes using the Indian road, but in the case of Nepali enumerators, the Indian officials denied allowing the route.
The Indian officials might not have provided access to the enumerators from the Indian route in suspicion of census in the contested region, CDO Joshi said.
CDO Joshi said that it was now just three days left to have an end of the time for conducting the census.

“We have also sought passes for the entry from Indian route but they have denied citing several reasons like refusal from the federal government of India,” CDO Joshi said.
“It is still impossible to reach and conduct census in Nabhi, Kuti and Gunji villages of the district of the contested regions Kalanpani, Lupilekh and Limpidyadhura,” CDO Joshi said.
“CBS has been saying that it will conduct census in these contested regions adopting any possible alternative measure but I have not seen any such possibility as of today,” CDO Joshi said.
CDO Joshi said, “We have also not informed about any such technology or alternative for now to conduct census.”

India has built a road network up to Lipulekh along the corridor of Mahakali River and has maintained heavy security on the ‘encroached’ land.
Officials at the district level said that it was not possible to conduct census of 1,000 people from around 320 families in Gunji, Kuti and Nabhi villages of Byas Rural Municipality-1.