After the BP highway was blocked by erosion and landslides due to the Roshi Khola flood, the alternative Pushpalal Marg connecting to Kathmandu has come into use. Those returning from Ramechhap, Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Udaipur Solukhumbu and other districts on the occasion of Dasain used the Pushpalal route. From Saturday afternoon, instead of BP highway, vehicles started using Pushpalal Marg to take passengers to Kathmandu.

Pushpalal Marg has been put into operation to facilitate the movement of vehicles in the districts including Ramechhap after the flood blocked the BP highway. Vehicles using this route were held up at Charikot on Saturday evening.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Gnyan Kumar Mahato said that more than 300 vehicles that came in continuous rain were held at Charikot and allowed to go to their destination on Sunday morning. He said that the vehicles were left on Sunday morning after realizing the condition of Arani's highway.

'Pushpalal Marg has been used since the BP highway cannot be put into operation immediately,' he said. He said that the driving of non-essential vehicles has been banned from 5 pm to 5 am in view of traffic congestion and risk.

'Because it is night time, it has been decided to close the highway at night by asking people not to travel at risk,' he said, 'because the risk is still there, we have asked the transporters including the drivers not to drive their vehicles at this time.'

Due to last year's flood, Tamakoshi Rural Municipality-5 Kirnetar, near the power house of Khimti Hydropower Center, 400 meters of Pushpalal Marg road was cut and reconstructed by the Tamakosi river, but the risk remains in that area due to the erosion, he said.

Ramechhap's Manthali is connected by Pusppalal Marg to Lamosanghu Jiri Road and Arani Highway. Before the opening of the BP highway, the locals used to travel on this road. Vehicles returning to Karmthalo after celebrating Dasain will use this highway. BP highway is operational from Bardibas to near Khurkot in Sindhuli. After a journey of 18 km from Khurkot, we reach Charikot via 54 km Pushpalalmarg via Manthali in Ramechhap. The capital can be reached in 133 km from Charikot.

The road is black. Using this alternative route from Bardiwas, one has to travel 315 km to reach the capital. When the Nagadhunga-Muglin-Narayangadh road is blocked, this road connects to the Araniko highway from Charikot under Lamosanghu Jiri road via BP highway via Pushpalal Marg.

Similarly, the Solu Dudhkunda Municipality of Solukhumbu has removed the obstructions of the unpaved roads that have been blocked in places, the Salleri-Jiri road for small vehicles in that area has been operating as an alternative from Saturday. Small jeeps from that area have started to travel directly to Kathmandu via Salleri-Lamasanghu-Jiri-Charikot. Chief District Officer Bhola Dahal said that since long-distance vehicles return to pick up passengers soon after reaching the capital, the transporters have been requested to keep two drivers.

He said that since the Tamakosi river has cut the road for the arrival of large vehicles in Kirnetar, it has been requested to operate from the road inside the Khimti Hydropower Center for a few days. He said that the Kalidah road section under the washed-out Pushpa Lal Marg had been repaired and put into operation, so there was no obstruction on the highway anywhere. "We went to the field and checked all the conditions of the highways in our area, we did not see any problem," he said, "for now, we have opened this route as it is safe to travel on the BP highway option, and we have mobilized police patrols on the highway for the safety of passengers and vehicles." He said that even though the risk is low, the transporters and other parties have been asked not to drive vehicles at night.