The 7-km stretch between Muglin and Abukhaireni roach along the Prithvi Highway has been opened for one-way traffic. A massive landslide triggered by heavy rains blocked the highway at Aina Paharo, Tanahun in October 2016. Police said the landslide had damaged a 100-metre stretch of the highway. 

Drivers said they are facing difficulties negotiating the damaged stretch of the highway. Driver Sunil Bishwokarma said they are facing risk as only one vehicle can pass the section at a time. “The stones are continuously falling from the cliff in the landslide prone area. Most often, that stretch of the road remains dusty and becomes muddy when it rains,” said Bishwokarma.

Thousands of vehicles ply the road section each day. The locals are concerned that it might be blocked again the upcoming monsoon if the authorities fail to control landslides on time. The Division Road Office (DRO) in Damauli has delayed to remove the landslide debris from the road section. 

Hundreds of people heading home for the Dashain festival last year were stranded due to the highway obstruction. Bhanu Joshi, chief of the DRO, said they had awarded a contract worth Rs4 million for clearing the landslide debris from the road. “But the contractor failed to complete the work on time. Now, 

we have scrapped the contract to invite a fresh tender,” said Joshi. 

The DRO has planned to clear the landslide debris from the road section within this fiscal year. “Works are on to control the landslide temporarily,” said Joshi, adding that they would be implementing the “rock-barrier and rock-net” technology to minimise the landslide risk in the future.