Vehicular traffic along the Eco section of the highway linking the Tatopani border crossing with China resumed on Monday, allowing limited movement along the key overland trade route after a month-long disruption.

Traffic resumed after the Road Division Office deployed heavy machinery and manpower four days ago to open a temporary track. Officials prioritised the work to reduce risks to settlements in the landslide-prone area after the Chinese contractor assigned to repair the section failed to begin work as scheduled.

The newly opened track allows single-lane traffic, enabling cargo containers stranded at Kodari Bazaar to move towards the customs office at Duguna in ward 3 of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality.

“As soon as the road opened, containers stuck at Kodari started heading towards customs,” said Sharada Prasad Parajuli, an executive member of the Nepal Trans Himalayan Border Commerce Association.

A one-way track had earlier been opened at Daklang after a 26-day disruption. A similar temporary route has now been opened at Eco after nearly a month of blockage. However, the Tatopani crossing remains only partially operational because of severe road subsidence at Liping and a fresh landslide on the Chinese side of the border.

Local residents, elected representatives, the Road Division Office and freight operators coordinated to open the temporary routes at Daklang and Eco.

Six tipper trucks and 12 heavy machines were deployed to clear the Eco section, said Narayan Datta Bhandari, senior divisional engineer and chief of the Road Division Office in Charikot.

“Traffic flow has normalised at Daklang, and the road at Eco is now clear. Repair work at Liping will commence shortly,” Bhandari said.

During the previous fiscal year, the government had awarded a Rs484.9 million contract to repair a 200-metre stretch at Eco along the Kodari Highway and build structures to prevent landslides. The contract was cancelled in April after the Chinese government expressed an intention to rebuild the road section directly.

China Nineteenth Metallurgical Corporation, the Chinese firm assigned to the project, was scheduled to begin construction in February. But it has yet to start work, citing various issues. Road Division officials said representatives of the company had indicated that construction could begin only towards the end of September.

Despite the reopening of Eco, the border crossing cannot operate normally until the problems at Liping are addressed, said Kumar Shrestha, chairman of ward 2 of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality. While containers stranded at Kodari Bazaar are moving, around 85 containers remain stuck across Liping because of the landslide on the Chinese side.

Traders are increasingly concerned about possible supply shortages ahead of Dashain, Nepal’s biggest annual festival. Freight operators said Chinese transport companies remain reluctant to accept cargo unless they are assured of regular road access.

“Chinese transport companies refuse to take delivery of goods unless continuous road operation is guaranteed,” said Rajesh Bhandari, a committee member of the Nepal Trans Himalayan Border Commerce Association. “Tatopani is the shortest overland route. Rerouting goods via Rasuwagadhi or Korala significantly inflates freight costs.”

The prolonged disruption has delayed imports of festival goods, daily necessities and other commercial goods from China. While temporary traffic has resumed through Eco and Daklang, regular cross-border trade depends on repairing the damaged road at Liping and clearing the landslide on the Chinese side.