Mugling-Narayanghat section to be closed for four hours daily for three weeks from February 4

Published On: February 2, 2024 04:20 PM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

CHITWAN, Feb 2: The previous deadline of 21 days has been extended for the closure of the road and chopping the hills to make the foundation of the bridge along the Mugling-Narayanghat road section in Chitwan.

Engineer Krishna Acharya, information officer of the Nagdhunga-Mugling Road Project West Section (Narayanghat-Mugling) stated that a meeting of stakeholders held at the District Administration Office, Chitwan, decided to continue the chopping work by closing the road for four hours every day from February 4 for 21 days.

The hill towards Muglin is being chopped off to lay the foundation of the Tuin River Bridge. For that, the road is currently closed from 12:00 noon to 4:00PM.

Initially, the project closed the road for three weeks from December 23 to January 13, and for the second time, it was decided to close the road for four hours daily from January 13 to February 3. Information Officer Acharya said that the remaining 13 meters of the hill had been chopped off within 21 days.

The work of chopping off the 60-meter-high hill started last year. According to the project, hard rock was found after chopping down to 25 meters. Elsewhere, bridges were built by chopping mounds, but after finding hard rock in the Muglin side of the Tuin River, the project concluded that the mounds could only be demolished by blasting.

However, after the on-site study of technicians working in mines and tunnels, it was suggested to chop the rocks using different techniques instead of blasting. According to Engineer Acharya, rock chopping was done with the help of a rock splitter, hydraulic jack hammer, based on the same suggestion.

This time, a breaker of 38 tons has also been used. Earlier, a 22-ton breaker was used. This time, 14 meters of hard rock was chopped in the first 21 days and 8 meters in the second 21 days, said Engineer Acharya. He said that the chopping work of the remaining 13 meters will be commenced in 21 days and even if not completed within the timeframe, there will be no need for further road closures.

Out of the 19 new bridges planned for this road section, the Tuin Khola bridge is the only one yet to be completed. While most other bridges are operational, three are still in the process of being brought into service.