The lack of an access road to the concrete bridge near Ranimahal, Palpa, which connects Syangja, poses countless challenges to travellers and locals. Despite the bridge having been completed six years ago, no access road has been built. As a result, vehicles cannot operate on the route for three to four months each year.

Suresh Pandey, a resident of Satuka in Kaligandaki Rural Municipality, explained that during the winter months, vehicles operate on a temporary track along the Kaligandaki riverbank. However, the track is unusable once the water level rises.

“After constructing a concrete bridge, an access road should have been built in the six years,” he said.

The access road, part of the Kaligandaki Corridor project, would shorten the journey between the bridge and the Ranighat-Tansen road, making Tansen reachable in just 12 kilometres. However, the road leading to the bridge remains incomplete.

“The concrete bridge was constructed, and vehicles can run in the dry season, but as soon as the river’s flow increases, even motorbikes cannot cross. It’s strange,” Pandey noted.

Despite the presence of a concrete bridge across the river, transportation remains disrupted, causing problems for patients, the elderly, and others, said Deepak Pandey, another resident of Satuka in Syangja. “We don’t know when the access road to the bridge will be built,” he added. “For about eight months of the year, we’re forced to travel along the river. When the monsoon comes, the same problems return.”

There is a blacktopped road from Tansen to Ranighat used by people from Syangja, Parbat, Baglung, and Gulmi. This road also offers a shorter route to Tansen and Butwal. However, during the rainy season, the Barangdikhola and Kaligandaki rivers swell, forcing vehicles to stop and travellers to walk. “It takes four times longer to reach Tansen via Mirmi, Zero, and Ramdi,” Pandey said. “Even though it’s easier to call a vehicle at Ranighat after walking three to four kilometres, the authorities show no interest in addressing the issue.”

The situation becomes dire when ill people are forced to make long journeys during the rainy season. The residents of Syangja, Parbat, Baglung, and Gulmi rely on this route for trade and travel. The concrete bridge was built six years ago to link Khanigaun in ward 7 of Baganasakali Rural Municipality in Palpa, with Satuka in Syangja's Kaligandaki Rural Municipality. However, the road on the Ranighat-Dailatung section of the Kaligandaki Corridor has been blocked by a landslide for years.

While the bridge was completed, vehicles cannot use it because the temporary track is buried. Arjun Pandey, a local from Satuka, Syangja, stated that although the Kaligandaki Corridor opened nearly 15 years ago, it has not been cleared of landslides, preventing the use of the access road to the bridge. “Vehicles usually travel along this road from Tansen via Ranighat to Satuka, Almadevi in Syangja, and Gulmi,” he explained. “But the authorities have shown no interest in constructing the access road. All levels of government must focus on this.”

Locals report that when the bridge was built, about 100 metres of road on the Palpa side was paved, but it has become impassable due to landslides, turning the paved road into a dirt track. “It’s possible to reach the Kaligandaki Corridor, but travelling to Tansen via Dailatung requires a long detour, and vehicles cannot operate for three to four months during the rainy season,” Arjun added.

Keshavraj Kharel from Dailatung in ward 7 of Baganasakali Rural Municipality, Palpa, criticised the authorities for failing to take timely action to maintain the Kaligandaki Corridor, which led to the current situation. “The contractors who were originally given the project didn’t even clear the landslide on this short stretch of road,” he said. “As a result, residents of Syangja are forced to travel 60 kilometres to reach Butwal via Tansen.”

Kharel also mentioned that a landslide has blocked the Barangdikhola area near Ranighat for the past 15 years. Although a track was initially opened, it has since been left to turn into a jungle with no further maintenance. Vehicles now have to navigate along the riverbanks.

The Barangdikhola area has not been properly cleared, and no efforts have been made to build a bridge or clear the landslide. As a result, about a kilometre of the road has been swallowed by nature, making it impassable for vehicles, he added.