Nawalparasi. The Daunne section of the Butwal-Narayangadh road has been obstructed 63 times in a year. Daunne area under Binayi Triveni Rural Municipality-2 of Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) has been obstructed 63 times from July 1, 2081 to July 30, 2018.

Janak Banjara, chief of the District Traffic Police Office, Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East), said the road has been completely or partially blocked in the last one year. Most of these incidents took place due to landslides triggered by heavy rains or landslides that blocked the road. The road was blocked for hours due to traffic jams and failure of trucks during road repairs.

Most of the roads have been obstructed in Bishwokarma Temple, Ghyukhola, Triasi Mod and other areas of Daunne area. Butwal-Narayangadh road has been obstructed due to the start of wall cutting work in Daunne hill for the expansion of the road. Banjara said that the road was blocked more times in the last fiscal year than in the previous fiscal year in Daunne area, which is just 14 kilometers away.

“Due to continuous landslides, mud and road erosion during the rainy season and potholes and dust on sunny days, the area is always becoming problematic,” he said.

Vehicular traffic in the area was further disrupted after the Binayi River Bridge at Dumkibas of Binayi Triveni Rural Municipality-1 collapsed on December 15. The temporary diversion constructed during this period was frequently washed away by the river, disrupting traffic. The problem has been averted after a new bridge over Binayi Rivulet came into operation on June 15.

For the expansion of the Daunne road section, the road expansion work was carried out from April 11 to April 30 by prohibiting the operation of non-essential vehicles from 11:00 pm to 3:00 pm and from April 11 to 5:00 am. Engineer Shiva Khanal, information officer of the eastern section, said that the construction of wall, culvert and slope of the road are currently underway.

Out of the 65 kilometers from Gaindakot to Daunne under the 114-kilometer Narayangadh-Butwal road section, work is underway to extend the three-lane road with six service lanes in the market area and the 14-kilometer section of Daiunne, considered a high-risk area.

China State Engineering Corporation, which got the contract for the construction of the road at a cost of Rs 17 billion, has so far extended the deadline three times. The work has to be completed by mid-July.