Kathmandu: Incessant rain at the end of September triggered landslides and floods destroying roads along the Dhulikhel-Khurkot section of the BP Highway.
As the destruction came just before the festival of Dashain , government authorities paced up to build temporary diversions via river and paths through landslides to resume vehicle movement along the BP Highway, the shortest route for people and goods heading east from Kathmandu. However, travel is not as easy as it used to be.
Thus, people have started using alternatives to BP Highway to leave and enter the Kathmandu Valley. Nevertheless, while BP Highway sustained the biggest damage, the alternative roads barely survived in several sections leaving them ‘somehow’ operational.
One of the alternative routes has been the Tribhuvan Highway, the road that passes via Naubise-Daman to connect Kathmandu and Sirsiya in Tarai. Known locally as byroad, the Tribhuvan Highway is one of the oldest highways in Nepal constructed in the 1950s.
Tribhuvan Highway provides breathtaking views along the Naubise-Hetauda section; however, as it is old, the road is narrow, almost like a contemporary single-lane.
Moreover, the Sitapaila-Dharke road has provided a good alternative for small vehicles to reach Naubise without suffering between heavy vehicles along the Thankot-Naubise road. There were many motorcycles, cars and public vehicles (HiAce and EVs) that left the Kathmandu Valley via Tribhuvan Highway before Dashain. Tribhuvan Highway is not the only way to connect Hetauda and Kathmandu.
Vehicles were leaving and entering Kathmandu during the festival of Dashain, Tihar and Chhath via Dakshinkali-Kulekhani-Hetauda and Chandragiri-Chitlang-Kulekhani-Hetauda roads as well.
Moreover, the Kanti Highway, another of the oldest highways in Nepal, also saw an increase in the number of vehicles recently. Kanti Highway is the shortest route linking Kathmandu and Hetauda via Lalitpur. From Ekantakuna to Hetauda, the distance is only 86 kilometres.
Hotels along Kanti Highway near Makwanpur Gadhi informed that they have been seeing more individuals on personal vehicles – two- and four-wheelers – in recent weeks.
“Once the Fast Track is completed, almost every vehicle from eastern Nepal and Madhes Province will enter Kathmandu through it. And the alternative routes will stop seeing vehicles and local business will again suffer,” said a woman in her 50s who was selling vegetables with her villagers near the Lein Danda section of Kanti Highway on Saturday morning.
Nevertheless, drivers and riders along the alternative routes expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of regular repair and maintenance of such great highways.
Debris from landslides was still visible along the Madan Bhandari Highway while the condition was worse on highways connecting Kathmandu and Hetauda. Moreover, the surprise of potholes and gravel roads terrorised travellers, especially motorcyclists and scooter riders .
“The Madan Bhandari Highway from Chatara to Hetauda via Sindhuli has made travel easy along the Chure region. However, after crossing Chure and heading towards the capital, all the riders/drivers, passengers/pillion and vehicles, suffer excessively ,” said a car driver who had stopped to buy vegetables near Lein Danda. The car was heading to Kathmandu from Itahari, Sunsari.
Waiting for his motorcycle to get repaired in Tikabhairav, Rajiv Mishra, who was returning after celebrating Chhath in Rautahat, said that his two-wheeler’s suspension suffered damage in the off-road section of Kanti Highway.
Nevertheless, government authorities have been stressing to begin proper repair of all major highways after the completion of the festivals. As the month-long festival period has now concluded, public are looking forward to safe travels to and from the capital city.
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