Landslide on Karnali Highway: Millions worth of apples stranded

'I am hearing the news that the road has been washed away due to the landslide in Gagnekhola,' he said, 'When will the road be opened?' I am worried about when the apples will reach the market.

His apple dealer said that he will only sell them in the market and pay Rs. According to him, the price of apples has also decreased by 10 rupees per kilo since the landslide occurred on the road. Bhim Bahadur Bista of Patarasi-6, who has an orchard of 700 apple trees, has sent 45 quintals of apples.

After the Karnali highway was blocked due to rain since Wednesday, the vehicles he sent were also stopped on the way. "Because 10 quintals were sent a little earlier, they have reached the market," said Bhim Bahadur, "35 quintals of apples that were sent only a day ago are stuck on the road." He said that 75 percent of the apples in his village, Urtu, were stopped on the way. Farmers said that 30 vehicles taken from Urthu were stopped on the road. Apples sent by hundreds of farmers here are stopped on the road.

This time, it is estimated that 15 thousand metric tons of apples will be produced in Jumla and 10 thousand metric tons will be exported. Balakram Devkota, head of the District Agriculture Development Office, Jumla, said that every year the roads are cheating the Jumli farmers. Farmers said that the goal is to bring in 40 million jumla by selling apples.

Apples have been planted in an area of ​​4,500 hectares in Jumla. Jayalakshmi Bhandari, an apple trader, said that the apples she picked from the orchard were stuck after the road was closed. She said, "The road will be open in a couple of days." If it doesn't open, the apple will rot and be wasted.'

She has been trading apples for 22 years, but Jumli apple has its own brand, but the farmers are suffering losses every year due to lack of good roads. She said, "The demand for Jumli apples is high in the market. The government does not build roads. 10 percent of the apples from every vehicle are rotting.

District Police Chief DSP Arjun KC said that 22 apple vehicles were stopped in Kalikot section alone. Bir Bahadur JT, Information Officer of the Road Division Office, Jumla, said that although the landslide removal work is going on, there is still no idea how long it will take. The attention of Chief Minister Yamlal Kandel has been drawn to take initiative to open the road as soon as possible as the landslide on the Karnali highway has greatly affected the apple farmers of Jumla.

Ward President of Hima-1, Rat Bahadur Shahi, said that the work is currently underway and the government has requested that the work of removing the landslide should be carried out with priority.