The Kodari road section, which has been blocked since Monday due to landslides in Liping and road flooding in the Eko and Daklang areas, has not yet been fully operational.
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The Tatopani border crossing, which has been blocked for three days, has not been able to be fully operational on Wednesday. The Kodari road section has not been fully operational due to the landslide in Liping on Monday and the lack of repair of the flooded road in the Eco and Daklang areas.
According to Rajesh Bhandari, a member of the Nepal Himalayan Cross-Border Chamber of Commerce, although the road in Liping and Daklang areas has been opened, traffic is at a standstill due to the flooding in Eco. Due to this, about 150 containers carrying apples, oranges, ginger, ready-made goods, equipment and other materials have been stopped across the landslide. 'As the road here has not been opened, more than 45 containers loaded with goods worth crores of rupees are stranded in Nyalam and other areas of China,' he said, 'When will the government see our problem?'
The Tatopani border crossing, which was in regular operation until 27 Asad, has been closed due to the first rains of this year. After 2 days of rain, a landslide has occurred in the border area of Liping, while the road in the eco-zone, where problems recur every year, has flowed towards the Bhotekoshi River. The Daklang landslide, which was under control after a long time, has also become active again. Narayan Dutta Bhandari, Chief of the Road Division Office, Charikot, said that the landslide in Liping has been removed and the road in Daklang has also been brought into operation. However, he said that the continuous rain in the eco-zone has made it difficult to repair and said that efforts are ongoing to open the road.
Kodari Highway not built even after a decade
The Bahrabise-Tatopani (26-kilometer) road to the Tatopani checkpoint, the main gateway to Nepal-China trade, has not been fully upgraded since the 2072 BS earthquake. This strategically important road has been repeatedly blocked every rainy season. 
Kumar Shrestha, Ward Chairman of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2, said that the condition of the road has not changed despite Chinese grants and the assignment of a Chinese construction company. 'Again Chinese grants, Chinese companies and Chinese contractors, but the condition of the road is the same,' he said.
The Chinese government had announced huge financial assistance in various phases for the reconstruction of the Kodari Highway and landslide control after the earthquake. During the visit of the then President Ram Baran Yadav to China on 14 Bhait 2071, Chinese President Xi Jinping had announced assistance worth 900 million Chinese yuan (about 16.2 billion rupees). Earlier, China had also provided assistance worth about 484.9 million rupees.
Under the same assistance, the Chinese company China Railway Fourth Construction Bureau Group Company Limited (CRCC) was given the responsibility of road repair and blacktop. But even after a decade, many places on the Kodari-Tatopani road are still in a dangerous condition.
Last year too, the Tatopani checkpoint was closed for about 3 months due to landslides. Then, under pressure from the locals, a budget of 484.9 million rupees was allocated for landslide control. According to Road Division Chief Bhandari, the contract was canceled based on a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after about 15 percent of the work was completed. The ministry decided to have a Chinese company construct the area, but the construction company has not yet arrived at the site. According to him, although two-phase agreements have been signed between Nepal and China, an implementation agreement is yet to be signed. The Chinese company is expected to start permanent landslide control work in the eco-area after the rainy season.
Locals say that a long-term solution has become challenging as there are about 175 households on the eco-landfall and the Bhotekoshi River is continuously eroding downstream. Sharda Prasad Parajuli, executive member of the Himalayan Cross-Border Chamber of Commerce, said that since the problem of road blockage recurs every year, many containers carrying apples have to be diverted to the Kerung border post. 'The erosion of the Bhotekoshi River has also put the customs yard at risk. Since the relevant bodies cannot remove the landslides on the road in time, traders have to raise their own expenses to repair the road,' he said.
