KATHMANDU, March 3: In the rugged hills of Sudurpashchim, Achham district continues to wait — and wait — for development that has long been promised but rarely delivered. Remote geographically and neglected in infrastructure, the district remains cut off by unfinished projects, poor access to services, and years of political assurances that have yet to materialise. Here, development is no longer just a campaign slogan; it has become a deeply personal, life-altering issue.
Twenty-four-year-old Tilak Bahadur Batala of Tallopatal in Ramarošan Rural Municipality–5 has emerged as the face of that frustration.
Last Friday, he walked barefoot to the rural municipality centre to demand road access to his village. Since then, he has been on a continuous hunger strike for three days, protesting what he calls a repeated cycle of vote-seeking in the name of development, followed by inaction.
Batala has launched an indefinite fast, saying promises — especially those related to road construction — have remained unfulfilled for over a decade. “For ten years, candidates have won votes promising to build roads,” he says. “But the road exists only on paper. When votes can move, why can’t roads?”
As the election season intensifies, candidates have resumed door-to-door campaigns, repeating familiar pledges: “Vote for us, and we will bring roads and development.” Batala, weak but resolute, says he has heard it all before. “These promises surface during elections and disappear afterward.”
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He describes the harsh realities of life in Achham. During the monsoon, blocked or non-existent roads prevent patients from reaching hospitals. Pregnant women have lost their lives due to the lack of timely medical care. Schools and health posts operate with minimal resources. Despite the region’s rich tourism potential, infrastructure remains poor. He also questions the transparency of development budgets.
At the protest site, Batala has wrapped himself in Nepal’s national flag, with a copy of the Constitution placed before him — a symbolic appeal to the state. He insists his protest is peaceful but firm, aimed at securing basic rights long denied to local residents.
Kamal Bahadur Batala, another local from Ramarošan–5, echoes the sentiment. “Can we call it national development just because the Valley and a few districts have progressed?” he asks. “Sudurpashchim is also Nepal — it deserves development too.”
Kamal worries that, once again, the long-standing demand for roads will fade after the election results are declared.
Since beginning his fast, Tilak Bahadur has raised pointed questions: Where is the road to Tallopatal? Where exactly is the much-talked-about Ramarošan tourism area? Why is it unmanaged? Why has the blacktopping of the Jayagan–Ramarošan tourism road stalled?
Locals say the Jayagan–Ramarošan road was surveyed more than a decade ago, yet construction has not even begun. Kamal alleges that as elections approach, candidates promise to deliver the road “within a week,” only to disappear after securing victory.
Now, as candidates move from house to house — offering meals in some places and assurances in others — Tilak Bahadur remains seated on his hunger strike, repeating one simple line: “Asking is not begging — it is a right.”
With campaign slogans growing louder and underdevelopment still visible at every turn, concern is mounting among locals. “In Achham, development is no longer just a promise,” Kamal says. “It has become a matter of life and death. Without roads, patients die, mothers lose their lives in childbirth, and students lose opportunities.”
Even so, hope persists. The people of Achham are waiting — not just for votes to be counted, but for someone to truly listen, and for the long-promised road to finally reach their hills.
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