Authorities ban vehicular movement on BP Highway during night for 15 days

Kavrepalanchowk, June 20: Vehicular movement on the BP Highway is to be closed from 12:30 am to 5:00 am regularly for the next 15 days, bearing in mind the potential travel risk from monsoon.     

An inter-district coordination committee meeting of district committee officials from Kavrepalanchowk, Sindhuli and Ramechhap on Friday took a decision to this effect. The decision comes into effect from 12:30 am Saturday.     

Kavre Chief District Officer Umesh Dhakal said the decision to cut off the operation hours for vehicles is aimed to minimize the travel risk during the monsoon. Vehicles from the Kathmandu route will be stopped at Kavrebhanjyang of Kavrepalancwhok and vehicles en route to Kathmandu will be stopped at Khurkot at night.     

It may be noted that an eight-kilometer section of the BP Highway from Chaukidanda of Kavrepalanchok to Barkhekhola of Sindhuli was swept away by the unseasonal rains in late September last year. The roadway was temporarily restored. Thousands of vehicles ply along the Highway, the shortest route to connect the federal capital to eastern Nepal each day.     

As stated by the Road Division, Bhaktapur, the floods and landslides from the rains resulted in significant damages to various segments of the 160-km highway, especially from Khurkot to Nepal Thok (34 km) and the from Nepal Thok to Dhulikhel (50 km), totaling 84 kilometers.(RSS)