Police have concluded that accidents in the Siddhababa area have been reduced due to driver caution, strict traffic management, and the practice of stopping vehicles during heavy rains.
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There has been a significant reduction in traffic accidents in the Siddhababa area of Palpa along the Siddhartha Highway in the last seven years. The police have concluded that this road section, which used to be a frequent site for accidents due to landslides, rocks and speeding, has now been reduced due to driver caution, strict traffic management and the practice of stopping vehicles during heavy rains.
Palpa District Police Chief Superintendent of Police Dipendra Panjiyar Tharu said that the accidents have decreased due to increased awareness among drivers about the risks and strict enforcement of traffic rules. 'Despite knowing that it is a risky area, there was a tendency to drive forcibly in the past,' he said. 'Now, by constantly alerting drivers, strictly enforcing traffic rules and stopping vehicles during heavy rains, accidents have decreased.'
According to him, the practice of stopping vehicles in Dobhan and Butwal after heavy rains during the rainy season, mobilizing police in risky areas and constantly alerting drivers has become effective.
According to Dipesh Khatri, an EV driver on the Butwal-Gulmi route, the road is narrow due to the construction of the tunnel, so it is not possible to drive at high speeds. 'Due to potholes and construction work in the four-kilometer area, you have to drive slowly,' he said. 'On the other hand, you have to drive very carefully, so accidents may have occurred.'
According to local Tanka Basyal, most vehicles are naturally driving at low speeds as the tunnel is being constructed. Regular monitoring by the police and traffic police and deployment of them in risky areas have also helped reduce accidents.
District Traffic Police Chief Rajendra Khadka said that although the number of accidents seems to have increased across the district, accidents have decreased in the Siddhababa area since 2076 BS. 'Arrangements have been made to stop vehicles as soon as it rains heavily,' he said. 'The practice of not traveling during risky times and drivers being alert has also reduced accidents.'
In the last fiscal year, 27 people died in 116 accidents across the district. In the current fiscal year, 33 people have lost their lives in 144 accidents till Jestha. However, according to the police, the accident rate in the Siddhababa area has been decreasing for the last seven years.
However, Siddhababa is still considered one of the most dangerous road sections in the country. In 2054 BS, 39 people died when a bus fell into the Tinau River. In 2055 BS, 26 people lost their lives when a landslide swept away a bus. Since then, landslides, rockslides and road accidents have repeatedly caused great human losses.
In the fiscal year 2070/71 BS alone, 11 people died in the Siddhababa area. Police data shows that in the following few years, there has been loss of life and property every year due to landslides and accidents. According to local Jang Bahadur Sunar, the four-kilometer road section from Dobhan to Chidiyakhola is the most dangerous. In this area, there are many incidents of rocks falling from above, landslides and mudslides sweeping away vehicles.
According to the District Traffic Police, more than 200 people have died and more than 700 have been injured or amputated on the 36-kilometer road section from Bartung to Chidiakhola in the last two decades. According to local Bishnu Prasad Pandey, the risk is still the same. 'While traveling daily from Dobhan to Butwal, it is impossible to predict where stones or mud will fall,' he said. 'This road is still equally sensitive during the rainy season.'
The Siddhartha Highway, whose construction began in 2022 BS, was blacktopped up to Pokhara in 2028 BS. However, a tunnel is being built for the long-term solution of the Siddhababa section. According to the police and locals, the risk of accidents on this road section is expected to decrease permanently only after the tunnel is operational.
