KAVRE, July 17: The BP Highway section in Kavrepalanchowk district will remain closed to vehicular movement for 12 hours every night for a month starting today.
The District Administration Office (DAO), Kavrepalanchowk, has enforced the restriction from Kavre Bhanjyang to the Nepal Thok area at the Sindhuli border, citing monsoon-related disaster risks.
In a public notice, the DAO stated that due to the heightened risk of floods and landslides during the active monsoon season, night-time vehicular movement will be prohibited from 5 pm to 5 am daily for a month to reduce potential disaster risks.
BP highway to remain closed for seven hours daily during night
Chief District Officer (CDO) Umesh Kumar Dhakal said that vehicles heading from Kathmandu will be halted at Kavre Bhanjyang, while those coming toward Kathmandu will be stopped at Nepal Thok, Sindhuli.
According to CDO Dhakal, considering the risk of monsoon-induced disasters, the security committees of Kavrepalanchok, Sindhuli and Ramechhap districts had earlier decided through an inter-district coordination meeting to restrict vehicle movement from 6:30 pm to 5 am from June 21 for 15 days, which was later extended until mid-July. During that time, vehicles from Kathmandu were halted at Kavre Bhanjyang and incoming vehicles were stopped at Khurkot, Sindhuli.
In the past week alone, floods and landslides have obstructed the highway in the Kavrepalanchok section approximately four times. Last year's September floods had swept away an eight-kilometer stretch of the highway between Chowkidar Danda (Kavre) and Barshe Khola (Sindhuli), forcing authorities to open a temporary road, allowing one-way or two-way traffic depending on the area.
Out of the total 160-kilometer stretch of the highway, the third section from Khurkot to Nepal Thok (34 km) and the fourth section from Nepal Thok to Dhulikhel (50 km) — totaling 84 km — sustained the most damage. The DAO, Kavrepalanchowk, stated that the process of awarding contracts for permanent reconstruction of the damaged sections has begun in four packages.
The BP Highway, known as the shortest route connecting eastern Nepal, facilitates daily movement of thousands of vehicles.
