Kodari road opens giving some relief to traders

By Our Correspondent,Sindhupalchowk, Sept. 24:  After the track was opened and the road was reopened at eco landslide at Tatopani checkpoint, which was closed since July 23, containers carrying goods stopped in the Chinese territory have started coming to Tatopani customs.

The Kodari section of the Araniko Highway, a key trade route linking Nepal with China, has become operational since Monday afternoon. The road has been reopened after removing landslide debris at five places along the highway, including Kodari and Irku in Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2.

Earlier, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure and Transport and Urban Development Kul Man Ghising instructed the Department of Roads to clear the eco landslide on Kodari road section and operate the road.

And the Road Division Office, Charikot has created an environment for containers to come to customs by clearing the eco landslide, which has not been cleared for two months.

According to Narayan Dutta Bhandari, Chief of Road Division Office, Charikot, the landslide was cleared and the road has come into operation since Monday.

Electro-hydro method was also used to clear the eco landslide. Similarly, three excavators, three loaders, 13 tippers, and 40 workers were deployed to clear the landslide. 

It was very difficult to clear the landslide as it was a waterlogged area. There is a dense settlement with 150 households above the landslide area, while the mighty Bhotekoshi River is below the road. The river's flow is eroding the road.

After the Kodari road section was closed due to an eco-landfall on July 23, the road was reopened by clearing the eco-landslide under the leadership of the Sindhupalchowk Chamber of Commerce and Industry on August 21.

However, three days later, another eco-landfall occurred, and the Kodari road section was closed until September 21. The road section has been reopened since Monday.

When the Kodari road section was closed due to an eco-landfall for two months, more than 1,500 containers carrying goods for Dashain festival and going to Tatopani customs were stuck in Chinese areas, including Nyalam, Shigatse and Khasa.  

On Monday, an on-site monitoring team, led by Minister Ghising, along with Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Keshab Sharma and Director General of the Department of Roads Bijaya Jaishi, inspected the road and assessed its condition.

During the visit, officials engaged with residents of the Irku area—the most affected by the landslide—to discuss risk-reduction measures and long-term technical plans to ensure the road remains permanently operational.