KATHMANDU, Sept 17: Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Kulman Ghising has directed government authorities to expedite the works to reopen the Kodari section of the Araniko Highway that has remained obstructed for the past two months.
Sending a letter to Director General of the Department of Roads (DoR) Bijay Jaishi, Minister Ghising directed him to arrange the necessary manpower and equipment to resume movement through one of the main gateways of the land route of bilateral trade between Nepal and China within two days. Prabhat Kumar Jha, spokesperson for the DoR, informed that a high-level team of the department led by Director General Jaishi is making an onsite visit to the location on Thursday, following the instruction from Ghising.
Ghising has sought for the prompt action after the local bodies of the Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2 drew attention of the government to bring into operation the Kodari road that has remained non-functional for a long time period. As per the Road Division Office, out of 250 meters of stretch of Kodari road, only 35-40 meters have the major problems of frequent landslides.
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The Road Division Office has not been able to remove the landslide showing the cause of the settlements lying above the road segment. The locals have also been complaining that the settlements have been posing risks to the commuters.
The road in the Kodari area of Araniko Highway has been blocked for around two months. During this period, the road has barely opened for 25 days. Due to the blockade, the Tatopani border point has remained closed, while the imported goods targeted for the approaching festivals have also remained stranded due to the reason. According to importers, more than 1,300 trucks and 400 containers carrying goods imported for Dashain have been stuck in Khasa of Tibet.
The land-based bilateral trade with China has been halted for two months after the bridge along Rasuwa-Kerung border was washed away by floods. The Tatopani-Khasa route is also not in optimum use due to landslides in a number of areas of the Araniko Highway. Businessmen have reported to be using porters to bring in the imported goods in small quantities from across the border.
In the first week of September, the governments of Nepal and China agreed to open the Nepal-China border at Korala, located in the northwestern district of Mustang, bringing relief to traders importing goods from China ahead of the upcoming festivals. Although the importers are expected to benefit with the new decision, the narrow and dilapidated roads on the Nepal side through Mustang however make it difficult to transport larger trucks, according to entrepreneurs.
Manoj Babu Shrestha, president of the Nepal National Entrepreneurs Federation, said importers face hefty costs due to the lengthy route and poor infrastructures to trade via Korala crossing point. “Even though the Korala border has been operational, there are no necessary structures to facilitate trade,” he said.
