Vehicular movement has been disrupted after the road was washed away and merged with the Bhotekoshi River, while dozens of containers are stuck in Khasa.
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The Tatopani checkpoint has been completely closed for four days due to an eco-landfall in the Kodari-Tatopani section of the Araniko Highway.
The road has been completely closed after the road collapsed and merged with the Bhotekoshi River, and dozens of containers are stuck in the Khasa. According to Kumar Shrestha, Chairman of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2, the road collapsed after the heavy rains from above on Wednesday covered the road.
Due to the extensive damage, there is no possibility of the road being reopened with normal repairs. He said that it is impossible to operate without using large machines. 'Hundreds of houses in the settlements above the road are also at risk,' said Ward Chairman Shrestha.
Locals and businessmen are upset as the 26-kilometer Kodari Highway connecting Bhotekoshi-2 Tatopani to China has become dilapidated. The condition of the Bahrabise-Tatopani (26 km) road, which was connected 57 years ago, is bad.
'The government has ignored this place despite collecting billions of rupees in revenue. The contract agreement worth Rs 495 million has also been cancelled before the work has started,' Shrestha said.
Earlier, the Road Division Office, Charikot, had signed a contract worth around Rs 495 million and started the construction of pillars for landslide control. However, the work was stopped suddenly after a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the letter, a Chinese company is said to be responsible for the construction and landslide control of the section. However, the Road Division Office has stated that the Chinese company has not come to the construction site.
Charikot Road Division Office Chief Narayan Bhandari informed that the work was suspended after receiving a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating that the contract is being carried out. Earlier, TS & Construction was entrusted with the work here. The work was stopped after receiving a letter when it had completed about 15 percent of the work. 'We stopped the work after receiving the letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the contract with the company that was working has been terminated,' Bhandari said.
The local level, district administration and concerned bodies had repeatedly taken initiatives to control the landslide. Former MP Madhav Sapkota, Ward Chairman of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2 Kumar Shrestha and others had demanded budget from the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport.
Fruits started rotting
Business activities have completely come to a standstill due to the closure of the border. The materials in the containers stuck in Khasa have started rotting.
Trader Sharda Prasad Parajuli said that 12 containers of apples brought from China have reached a state of spoilage. "It's been so long, the condition of the border is like this, more than a dozen containers are stuck at the eco-road," he said, "What will happen in the rainy season? If the road is not opened, all the apples will rot." He said that ready-made materials and equipment for various projects have also been stranded.
