Photo: RSS
CHITWAN: It will take at least two days to clear the landslide that fell near Tuinkhola area on the Narayanghat–Muglin road, officials say.
Workers started removing debris from the landslide, which occurred at around 4:30 pm on Tuesday, on Wednesday morning.
According to Narayan Lamichhane, chief of the Division Road Office, Bharatpur, two loaders, one excavator and one backhoe loader have been mobilized for the work, while another excavator is coming from Damauli.
The landslide has buried about 160 meters of the road. While the risk of a massive slide from above has lessened, Lamichhane said the possibility of smaller and medium-sized landslips remains.
The area has been seeing continuous landslides since last Friday. While workers had been clearing debris after every landslide to allow limited vehicle movement, traffic has come to a complete halt since Tuesday evening. Long queues of freight trucks can be seen on the road, while passenger vehicles have been diverted to alternative routes.
With traffic suspended at Tuinkhola, the Division Road Office, Bharatpur, has urged travelers to use alternative routes. According to the office, small vehicles coming from Chitwan can take the Jutpani–Shaktikhor–Mayanthar route to reach Malekhu in Dhading, from where they can continue driving to Kathmandu. Another option is via the Tribhuvan Highway through Naubise in Dhading to Hetauda in Makwanpur.
Similarly, light vehicles from Hetauda can travel through Bhainse, Bhimphedi, Kulekhani, and Sisneri to Dakshinkali.
Heavy vehicles heading to Kathmandu can take the Kanti Highway via Hetauda, Thingan and Bhattedanda to reach Satdobato in Lalitpur, according to the office.
Likewise, both light and heavy vehicles heading to Pokhara can travel via Butwal. Smaller vehicles can also use the Kaligandaki Corridor. Similarly, from Gaindakot, vehicles can head toward Bhimad in Tanahun and Rampur in Palpa, the office said.
