Ilam. Preparations were made to resume the Tilkeni-Simalgolai road section of Ilam municipality-9 after the obstruction of the Ilam-Rajduwali road section along the Mechi Highway. Passengers and transport entrepreneurs have been facing inconvenience as they have not been able to operate alternative roads even in ten days.

Efforts are being made to operate small vehicles by constructing a temporary diversion at Jogmai rivulet that connects Maijogmai rural municipality-4 Namsaling and Ilam municipality-10 Godak under the road section. Pawan Bhattarai, chief of the Road Division Ilam, said that the operation of the river has not been done immediately due to the high water level in the river and lack of humus pipes.

“We spent a lot of time in the diplomatic area. “Diversion construction is being carried out in the Jogmai River due to lack of adequate hum pipe,” he said. According to him, hum pipes have been brought from Panchthar and arrangements have been made to reach them by Tuesday. Currently, four excavators have been mobilized for the construction of the diversion.

The District Administration Office, Ilam, on Sunday had decided to operate the Tilkeni-Simalgolai road as an alternative to the Mechi highway. “Efforts are being made to open the road as soon as possible”, CDO Nepal said, adding, “The technical side is being handled by the Road Division, we are coordinating.” ’

The road has also been obstructed after the flood swept away the Bailey Bridge on October 1. The Bailey Bridge, which was constructed last June, was swept away by floods. This alternative road connecting Tilkeni of Ilam district headquarters to Godak of the Mechi highway is considered to be the main alternative for the operation.

Small vehicles will be allowed on the Tilkeni-Bajradevi-Namsaling-Nayabazaar-Fikkal road section since Sunday. However, Nepal said that it has not been able to identify appropriate alternative routes for heavy and cargo vehicles. He said it was difficult to operate large vehicles due to the fast turn and narrowness.

Ilam district has been cut off from the road network for the past 10 days due to landslides triggered by incessant rains. The obstruction of the Ilam-Rajduwali road section has affected the movement of passengers and vehicles in Jhapa, Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung. Bhattarai, chief of the Road Division, said that the road could not be opened immediately due to the complex geography.