12 hours to cross 14-km Daunne stretch!

NAWALPARASI: It took nearly 12 hours for Deep Kafle of Kawasoti to drive from Bardaghat to Dumkibas via Daunne on Sunday. He said the journey was severely delayed due to continuous rainfall and ongoing road maintenance work.

Kafle’s experience reflects the hardship faced by many travelers on Sunday as heavy rain turned the Daunne section muddy and slippery, making travel along the East–West Highway increasingly difficult.

Although most parts of the Narayangadh–Butwal road expansion project have been completed, work on the Daunne section has remained sluggish for years. The problematic stretch of around 14 kilometers lies on the border between Nawalparasi East and Nawalparasi West districts. While the western portion is relatively manageable, the eastern section is in particularly poor shape, according to Kafle.

Travel is difficult not only during the rainy season but also in dry months. Ongoing culvert and road paving works often restrict the road to one-way traffic, forcing vehicles to wait for hours to pass through.

When it rains, the road becomes extremely slippery, making it hard for vehicles to climb uphill. Even in normal weather, travel through Daunne remains arduous. The recent spell of continuous rainfall has caused long traffic jams in the area, with many vehicles stranded for hours.

The District Police Office, Nawalparasi (East), on Monday issued a notice advising travelers to use alternative routes.

According to SP Yubraj Khadka, the road remains slippery and vehicle movement is still restricted. “There has been heavy traffic pressure for the past few days. Vehicles are struggling to ascend the uphill sections, and many have broken down along the way, blocking parts of the road,” Khadka said. “We are trying to ease traffic flow as much as possible, but for now, travelers are requested to use alternative routes.”

(Translated from RSS)