Frequent landslides have increased the risk to passengers and drivers on the Kanti Lokpath, and the blacktop of the road, which began construction seven decades ago, is still incomplete.
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There is always a risk of landslides on the Kanti Lokpath that enters Kathmandu from Hetauda. The Lokpath has been blocked 8 times in the past 45 days due to landslides. The road is blocked due to landslides during normal rains.
Even dry landslides have blocked the Lokpath for hours. From Baisakh to Jestha 15, traffic on the Lokpath has been blocked 8 times, said Pramod Prasad Sah Teli, Deputy Inspector of Police at the Area Police Office, Thingan. During this period, landslides from above have occurred 5 times and dry landslides have blocked the Kanti Lokpath 3 times. He said that the section from Thingan to Bagmati Bridge towards Makawanpur is particularly vulnerable. Bhimphedi Rural Municipality-8 Bharyanganda, Gagate, Ghattepakha of Bakaiya Rural Municipality and Landslides have been disrupting traffic in the Lendanda area.
A motorcycle traveling from Hetauda to Kathmandu was involved in an accident when a dry landslide occurred in Bharyangdanda on Jestha 13. On Jestha 15, the flood of the Bagmati River washed away the materials of the bridge under construction. The flood also washed away the access road of the old bridge. The upper part of the road in the hilly part is prone to landslides as the soil is very loose and gravel, said Upendra Maharan, Information Officer of the Kanti Lokpath Project. He said that studies are being conducted to prevent landslides in the risky section.
Even after 7 decades, the construction of the Kanti Lokpath has not been completed yet. The construction of this Lokpath started in 2013 BS as an alternative to the Tribhuvan Highway connecting Kathmandu-Birgunj. This Lokpath is considered as a short-distance alternative route connecting Kathmandu-Hetaunda.
The construction of the Lokpath, one of the oldest road projects in the country with a length of 79 kilometers, has been 71 percent completed in 7 decades. The Nepali Army had started construction by opening its track from 2013 BS to 2016.
Project Information Officer Maharan said that about three-thirds of the work of the project has been completed The road should be upgraded to two lanes by cutting rocks. Information Officer Maharan said that despite the short distance, it took time to complete the work due to geographical difficulties. The total contract liability for the current fiscal year is Rs 1.5 billion. The allocation for the current contract is only Rs 470 million. Eight contracts have been awarded for rating walls, cutting, drainage and blacktop of the highway. Construction companies are working on all the contracts.
The zero kilometer of the highway from Kathmandu is Tikabhairav in Lalitpur, while its zero kilometer from Hetauda is Buddhachowk in Hetauda. The total length from Tikabhairav to Buddhachowk is 79 kilometers.
The road from Buddha Chowk to Tika Bhairav in Hetauda is being looked after by the Kantilok Path Road Project, while the 10-kilometer road from Tika Bhairav to Satdobato in Lalitpur is being looked after by the Valley Road Expansion Project. Since the last fiscal year, the design of this road has been changed and it has been extended from Tika Bhairav to Ekantakuna in Lalitpur. Of this road, 39 kilometers are in Lalitpur and 40 kilometers are in Makwanpur.
The Nepali Army has started the construction of the road from Kantilok Path. The army has now constructed more than three dozen roads and handed them over to the government. Recently, the army has also taken the responsibility of constructing the Kathmandu-Nijgadh Fast Track.
