Ilam. Ilam: The Golakharka-Rajduwali road section has been obstructed along the Mechi highway. Chief District Officer Laxman Dhakal informed that the road section at ward no. 9 of Ilam has been obstructed after the road caved in following incessant rain since the past two days.

According to Dhakal, heavy vehicles have not been allowed to ply on the road for the past four days. Though motorcycles were allowed to ply till Sunday, the road was closed to a complete halt from Monday after the road caved in last night.

With the road disruption, connectivity with Ilam district headquarters, Panchthar and Jhapa of Taplejung has been cut off. A large number of goods carriers and other vehicles heading to Jhapa from Ilam, Panchthar, and Taplejung districts have been stranded on both sides of Maikhola.

“The number of road caveats and landslides is increasing due to incessant rain”, CDO Dhakal said, adding, “We had allowed motorbikes to ply until Sunday”. We have closed the road section for an indefinite period from today as the risk has increased. ”

The Tilkeni-Simalgola road, which is being used as an alternative route for the Rajduwali section, has also been obstructed after the diversion of Jogmai river was swept away by the flood on Sunday. Similarly, the flood also swept away the diversion of Puwa rivulet along the Kechana-Kanchanjunga road (Mechi corridor) linking Ilam and Jhapa, disrupting the road connectivity with Jhapa of Ilam, Panchthar and Jhapa of Taplejung, informed Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Laxmi Bhandari at the District Police Office, Ilam.

Bhawan Bhattarai, chief of the Road Division Ilam, said that although the civil structure was prepared one and half months ago for the installation of bailey bridges over Jogmai and Puwakhola, the problem has not been resolved as the materials for the bailey bridge provided free of cost by the Indian government have not arrived yet.

The people travelling for essential work have been compelled to cross the landslide-hit Rajduwali section on foot to reach their destinations due to the complete obstruction of the road.