Local authorities halt movement on Karnali suspension bridge where 14 mules were stuck

Lawmaker stress on its maintenance

KATHMANDU, June 12: Local authorities have halted the movement on Karnali suspension bridge where 14 mules were stuck on Sunday.

The movement has been closed due to the iron rods on one side of the bridge breaking down while the mules transporting daily consumables were crossing the river through suspension bridge connecting Kolkadha, which lies in Panchadewal Binayak Municipality-9 in Achham and Aathabis Municipality-4 in Dailekh.

The residents of Chiltada, Bhatgaun, Bhanakot, Tamkot, and Raku of Panchadewal Binayak Municipality-9 are facing problems in the movement and transportation of daily consumption goods to the nearby markets of Khidki Jiula and Rakam.

Shiva Prasad Lamsal, Chief District Officer of Accham said that the movement on the bridge has been halted due to the risk of people’s movement without any technical inspection, evaluating and testing.

Similarly, the closure of the bridge has affected the students of Dailekh and Accham. The students of Chandika School in Achham and Pre- secondary School in Dailekh are facing problems in movement.

Lamsal said that the Ministry of Finance and other related bodies have been informed for the immediate repair of dilapidated bridge and connecting Panchadewal Binayak Municipality-9 and Aathabis Municipality-4 in Dailekh and to construct and operate of a new bridge under the construction of Karnali River.

A total of 14 mules were stuck on a suspension bridge on Sunday. Out of those, 12 were rescued alive by local residents and security personnel while the remaining two others could not survive.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Sita Kumari Rana during the House of Representatives (HoR) meeting on Wednesday called for the earliest maintenance of suspension bridges in Karnali Province. She argued that local residents in Dailekh and Achham districts had been facing sheer inconvenience in movement due to the breakdown of the bridge.

In the special hours of the HoR meeting, Sita Kumari Rana shared that the Dailekh District Administration Office had decided to shut down schools within the district due to risks of broken suspension bridge.

Rana, a representative of Dailekh district in Karnali Province, expressed her concern that the decision had badly affected the study of local students.

A total of 14 mules were trapped in the suspension bridge on Sunday due to its sorry state. A steel wire rope used in the bridge was snapped, causing the mules to be stuck in the bridge for several hours before they were rescued.

Rana cautioned that failure to repair the bridge on time could cause human casualties. "The government should repair the suspension bridge at the earliest, sending a technical team," she insisted.

Rana further said that impending natural disasters with the start of the monsoon season in the country could further aggravate the situation there. "Local residents in Karnali should feel the presence of the government," she added.