MUGLING, June 30: A massive landslide at Kalikhola of Ichhakamana Rural Municipality-6, Chitwan, has obstructed vehicular movement on the Narayanghat-Mugling road, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded on the road.
Traffic came to a halt on the road when the land above the road section started moving from 8 am in the morning. According to the locals, last night's heavy rainfall led to the landslide. According to Area Police Office, officers and locals were clearing landslide debris with the help of excavators when another landslide hit the area at around 1:30 pm.
Kamal Prasad Devkota, a police officer who was returning from Rukum to Kathmandu informed Republica that it is not possible to clean the debris immediately as the landslide is massive. “With much difficulty, we had just crossed the place of landslide and within five minutes there was another landslide,” Devkota said. According to him, many of his friends who had gone to their villages to participate in the second round of local elections are still stuck on the way due to the landslide.
Beni-Darbang road obstructs by landslide
As the vehicles could not move along the road section, passengers were unable to reach their destinations. Some of the vehicles were even compelled to change their routes while many of the passengers opted for walking instead of waiting inside vehicles under the scorching sun. Especially the sick, elderly, children and disabled people have been affected by the disruption of vehicular movement.
With the onset of monsoon, this road section has witnessed several such landslides which have been a major headache for the locals, passengers as well as the contractors. Landslides have not only led to a rising number of traffic congestions but also claimed several lives.
