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Goods stranded in Mustang following the disruption of the road, including cargo containers, electric vehicles, apples and other agricultural products, will be sent through the road once one-way traffic resumes.

Repair work on the Korala–Jomsom–Beni section of the Kaligandaki Corridor, which links the northern and southern parts of the country, has been expedited, with preparations underway to bring the road into operation by next Monday.

Floods in the Kaligandaki River washed away around 250 metres of road at Kunauta in Raghuganga Rural Municipality-2 of Myagdi.

After the washed-out section of the road was restored with soil, repair work is now underway on the approach road to a bridge at Pokharebagar in Annapurna Rural Municipality-6, which was also damaged by floods.

The floods in the Kaligandaki River following heavy rainfall from September 24 to 27 damaged and washed away roads and concrete structures at 46 locations.

Chief of the Beni-Jomsom-Korala Road Project Tejaswi Sharma said around 500 containers carrying festival-related goods and other commodities were stranded in Mustang.

He said all vehicles stranded in Mustang would be allowed to pass under the monitoring of security personnel at vulnerable locations after the repair work is completed and the load-bearing capacity of the bridge is tested.

“We are levelling the road where the two sections have been connected and making it suitable for vehicular movement. It is estimated that it will take around two days to send only the vehicles currently stranded in Mustang,” said Sharma.

According to him, the road from Korala through Jomsom to Pokharebagar in Myagdi is in regular operation, while travel from Maldhunga through Beni to Pokharebagar will be possible until Friday.

The District Administration Offices of Mustang and Myagdi have also coordinated to arrange security measures, including traffic management, along the road section.

Due to the road disruption, goods worth billions of rupees, including apples and other agricultural products prepared for transportation from Mustang and electric vehicles, have remained stranded.

The road construction work has been accelerated by mobilising 15 excavators, 12 tippers and 15 loaders, along with manpower from the Department of Roads and construction companies, along the 202-kilometre Beni–Jomsom–Korala road connecting Pang of Kushma Municipality-1 in Parbat, via Beni in Myagdi, to the Korala border point with China.

The Korala border point is located at an altitude of 4,650 metres above sea level. After goods are brought to the customs office at Korala and cleared, they are transported to Pokhara via the 186-kilometre Kaligandaki Corridor, Beni–Jomsom–Korala road section.

Of the 76-kilometre Beni–Jomsom road section, around 22 kilometres stretch is considered highly vulnerable to floods and landslides.

By Hari Krishna Sharma