Malekhu (Dhading), Ashoj 15(Oct 1): Prithvi Highway has been taken as the ‘lifeline’ of the federal capital Kathmandu. Landslides accompanied by continuous rains for three days have damaged most parts of Prithvi Highway. In some places the roads have been buried and in some places they have been washed away.
There was an unexpected loss of life in the Jhyaple River in Naubise Nagadhunga section of the Tribhuvan Rajpath. 35 people lost their lives in one landslide. Almost a dozen vehicles were damaged. The Jhaple River area has been operational since Sunday evening. Even on the Nagadhunga-Muglin section on the Prithvi Highway and Tribhuvan Rajpath, the traffic has not been completely smooth even though it has been operational since Monday morning.
The journey has become dangerous due to landslides on the winding roads. According to the police, the work is being done to clear the landslides that fell one after another after continuous rain for four days. Police Inspector and Information Officer of District Police Office Dhading, Pralad Silwal, informed that it will take some more time to clear all the landslides before leaving Kathmandu for the east-west district.
Vehicles stopped at various areas of the highway have entered Kathmandu since Monday morning. Hundreds of vehicles that have been stopped on the road for four days to go to Kathmandu have been allowed by the police to enter Kathmandu throughout the day. “The landslide in Nagadhunga Naubise area has not stopped completely. In any place, there is a risk of landslides and stones falling at any time”, Silwal said, “Even considering the traffic pressure in the risk areas, small and light vehicles have been facilitated to use the road from Dhading’s Galchi to reach Kathmandu via Nuwakot’s Chhare.”
Small and light vehicles in the upper area from Galchi have been allowed to enter Kathmandu through Dharke Sheetapaila road section. Vehicles and passenger buses carrying essential materials (livestock, milk, meat, vegetables, food) have been brought into Kathmandu using Naubise-Nagadhunga road section. Deputy Superintendent of Police of Gajuri police station Dillinarayan Pandey informed Rss that cargo carriers and large long-distance vehicles carrying non-perishable goods have been facilitated to stay safely in the open. He said that due to the large number of vehicles that were stopped around the landslide, the vehicles leaving Kathmandu were stopped on Monday and the stranded vehicles were rescued. Vehicles going east-west from Kathmandu have been allowed from Nagadhunga Naubise road only since Monday evening.
Drivers and passengers are not sure about traveling on the highway
Gegran stones falling from the wall on the road, water flowing on the road due to blockage of drains, sliding landslides are dangerous for small vehicles and two-wheelers. Two-wheelers have a lot of trouble. Drivers and passengers are not sure about the journey due to the continuous wear and tear. A picture of horror is clearly visible on the faces of the passengers who heard about the landslide, the rolling vehicle buried, and the loss of life. ‘We will reach Kathmandu, right? Which road will be right for us? There was hardly anyone who did not ask. Passengers who were in a state of panic looked very scared.’
Vishal Shrestha, the driver of the microbus, who left Kathmandu for Gorkha last Friday but was stopped by a landslide and was about to walk to the destination, says, “We are walking in the driver’s wheel.” Shrestha, who spent two days and nights near the landslides of the Jhaple river, left Dhading via the Nuwakot road on Monday, told of the pain of the road leading to the capital. “Dhading’s Galchi, Nuwakot’s Chhare, the road to and from Kathmandu is also not that safe due to traffic congestion. “There is no traffic on the road. The number of vehicles is excessive. There is a risk of accidents when running on narrow roads, many vehicles, back and forth”, said Shrestha.
The experience of drivers arriving at Prithvi Highway using the Nuwakot road is also different. Vijayraj Giri ‘Roshan’, a government vehicle driver who was going to Dhading from Kathmandu via Chhare in Nuwakot on Monday afternoon, says, “The road to Nuwakot would be fine if there was no traffic, but now it is difficult to walk safely.” He said that even though one-way traffic has been started after the landslide, there is still a problem for two-way traffic in the highway area. Police Inspector Silwal of District Police Office Dhading informed that more than a dozen landslides are being removed in Jhaple Khola area of ​​Tribhuvan Rajpath, Thakre of Prithvi Highway, Galchi, Jahre of Gajuri, Ghatbensi, Charaidi of Benighat and Jogimara area. Stating that it will take some time to operate the two-way traffic, he mentioned that due to the road clearing work, the passengers are forced to face traffic jams at some places.
Passengers who have been stuck in traffic for a long time have to suffer because they are not able to use the toilet. Passengers face a problem when they reach the place where the communication is cut off due to the power cut due to the collapse of the electric poles. If the vehicle is stopped in a non-residential area, the passengers cannot even buy food, while the passengers of the vehicle stopped in the market area are forced to pay high prices. “Money can’t afford to board an airplane. We don’t know whether we will die or live if we ride a car”, said Tulsa Regmi, who was on the way to Pokhara, “if the government left all the work and made the journey on the highway safe, it would have been better for people like us.”
Ambulance drivers and relatives of the patients who arrived at the time of operation of the two-way road were very angry. They complained that they had to stay in traffic more than necessary due to lack of traffic management. The armed police are actively patrolling the highway to ensure that vehicles and passengers are not stranded on the road, that no one is inconvenienced during the journey, and that the passengers are rescued on time. Deputy Superintendent of Police of Gulm Dhadingbensi, who was found while clearing landslides in Galchi Rural Municipality-2 Ghatbensi, Lakshmi Thapalia said that they are working round the clock to reduce the possible risk.
Dussehra festivities are starting from this week. The condition of the road is miserable. The ship ticket is expensive. With the increase in the number of passengers returning home for Dussein, the traffic is yet to increase. There are many examples of major accidents every year in the run-up to the festival. Coordination of all sectors and agencies is essential to reduce the damage caused by road accidents.
