Baitadi. Most of the roads in Baitadi have been obstructed due to incessant rain. Drivers have also said that there is a lot of risk in the operation of vehicles on rural dirt roads during the year.

Jeep driver Sher Singh Karki said the lack of upgradation of rural roads has increased the risk of vehicular movement. He said, “It is very difficult to operate vehicles on rural dirt roads during the year. There is also a lot of risk in not upgrading the roads. ’

Work is underway to upgrade the Satbanj-Surnaya road in the district. Road widening work is underway in connection with the upgradation work. However, the drivers said that there is a lot of problem in the operation of vehicles due to landslides in places of the road during the year.

The situation has remained the same on the Shreebhabar-Hat road section connecting purchaudi municipality centre of the district. Transport entrepreneurs have said that large buses could not be operated during the year.

According to the drivers, it is difficult to drive vehicles during the year even on the rural dirt road connecting different wards of Sigas rural municipality of the district. Vehicles have to be operated on dehimada-Giregada, Silegada-Kataujpani, Melauli-Pancheshwor and other roads at risk during the year. Patan-Sakar-Kailpal road, Dharmaghar-Sansherimadau road, Dehimadaun-Durgabhawani road and Dehimadau-Surkal road have also been blocked due to rain.

Another jeep driver, Narendra Kunwar, said that vehicles have to operate at risk as the rural roads have collapsed in many places during the year. He said, “Due to the rain, the rural roads are shaky and there is a fear of landslides. You have to take risks to drive. ’

Commuters have been forced to pay high fares as rural unpaved roads are not fully operational. The transport entrepreneurs have been charging their own fare saying that they have to operate the vehicles at risk. Mud roads have been blocked every year due to landslides during the year.

Haris Saud of Dogadakedar-1, Rim, said they were compelled to carry daily necessities as the road was blocked. He said, “Due to the obstruction of rural raw roads, there is a problem in transporting daily necessities if they have to go for emergency work. ’