Not possible to bring BP Highway into operation before Dashain: Ministry

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport has said that it will not be possible to reopen the BP Highway, which has been blocked due to floods and landslides, before the Dashain festival.

Keshav Kumar Sharma, secretary at the ministry, said in a press meet on Wednesday that vehicular movement on the BP Highway before Dashain is unlikely. “Since the highway has sustained heavy damage at different locations, even temporary restoration to facilitate movement of people during Dashain is not possible,” he added.

According to the ministry, about 18 kilometers of the Chaukidanda-Kaladhunga section of the highway need to be repaired. Approximately 12 kilometers of this section have been completely washed away by floods, Sharma said.

“We have already deployed teams to clear the highway from both sides. We are taking every possible measure to bring the road into operation at the earliest,” he added. “While we are making every possible effort, the possibility of the road reopening before Dashain does not seem likely.”

With the BP Highway, the shortest road connecting districts in eastern Madhesh and Koshi Province to Kathmandu Valley, out of operation, traffic pressure has increased on the Prithvi Highway and Tribhuvan Highway.

A technical team of the ministry conducted an aerial inspection of the BP Highway on Wednesday. Following the inspection, the ministry concluded that the highway cannot be made operational before Dashain.