Kavrepalanchok. The BP Highway, which was constructed temporarily after being damaged by floods and landslides a year ago, is to be repaired again to avoid disruption during the festival.

According to the Division Road Office, Bhaktapur, the work would be forwarded to repair the damaged road along the highway. After the floods and landslides, the office had operated the transportation by filling a temporary filling at a height of a few feet higher than before. According to the office, the journey would be made easier by filling the potholes by keeping the resources in ready condition to avoid further damage during this rainfall.

In order to prevent damages this time, walls with gabin mesh have been erected at Chaukidanda, Katunjebesi, Mangaltar and Mamti towards Kavrepalanchowk. Office chief, Senior Divisional Engineer Suman Yogesh said necessary equipment for the reconstruction of the road has been kept ready to reduce the risk of flood and landslide during the rainy season.

“Alertness has been adopted to prevent disruption during the festivals including Dashain, Tihar and the road will be repaired within a day or two,” he said. According to him, the road is being ‘rolled’ by grading.

A process has been forwarded to reconstruct 29 kilometres of the BP Highway in four sections. The floods and landslides had completely washed away eight kilometers of the road. Three sections of the highway in Kavrepalanchowk and one section on the Sindhuli side will be completed within two years.

After the road was damaged, people who wanted to go home towards the east had to use an alternative route during Dashain last year. “We were not allowed to allow the highway to be disrupted this monsoon, and now we are carrying out repair work to prevent disruption during the Dashain and festivals,” Yogesh said, adding that the highway would not be obstructed during the Dashain festivals. According to him, the contractor will open the road in case of floods and landslides.

According to Yogesh, the contractors are ready to open the road in case of floods and landslides. Vehicular movement on the highway has been banned for 24 hours from September 17 due to risk factors. Prior to this, the government had banned the operation of private and passenger vehicles on the highway for 12 hours from 5:00 pm to 5:00 am.

Currently, around three thousand vehicles ply the highway every day. A contract agreement has been signed for the reconstruction of the highway in two years by making two packages towards Kavrepalanchowk and one towards Sindhuli. However, the permanent construction work will begin only after the monsoon ends.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is working on the five-km road section of the damaged highway. JICA will construct a 3.2-km road from Piple to Barkhekhola. Yogesh said that the final survey work has been completed and the contract is in the process of signing the contract. He further said that contract signing is underway for one road section towards Sindhuli and two road sections towards Kavrepalanchowk.

The highway is currently an intermediate lane and will now be constructed as a two-lane highway. The government has provided Rs 7.5 billion to the Division of Roads Bhaktapur and Rs 1 billion to the Khurkot section of Sindhuli for the permanent repair and maintenance of the BP Highway. Construction of the BP Highway (160 km Dhulikhel-Sindhuli-Bardibas) was started in the fiscal year 2053÷54 BS with the grant assistance of the Japanese government.

The Japanese government on July 3, 2015 had handed over the construction of the highway to the Nepal government. The highway is taken as a short route connecting Kathmandu with mid-hill and eastern Nepal.