KARNALI, June 19 - Risk is increasing every year as the government has kept on allocating very less budget for the construction of infrastructures on the Karnali Highway, which is steep, accident-prone and difficult.
Except for some patchwork on the highway, any work to upgrade the highway or widen it is hardly done, making driving on the road in the rainy season almost impossible. Due to this, people staying in Karnali have to suffer every year. Even in the normal rainy season, the highway is blocked for three or four days because it is steep. Engineers at the Road Division Office say that the government should focus on widening the Karnali Highway and upgrading the road beyond the budget allocation.
Once one enters the Dailekh section of the highway, it is difficult for the people to drive because of the dust in the winter, and landslides and mudslides in the rainy season. Vehicles do not run even for a week when any big landslide hits the highway. The highway is in a dilapidated condition due to the stones coming down from the hills. The rain has even washed away the blacktopping at many places on the highway. It makes the highway accident-prone as well. The budget for maintenance work is also very low.
20 injured as two vehicles collide head on
Nain Bahadur Shahi, a businessman from Rarkum, said that those who travel to Jumla from Surkhet reach their destination after a very arduous journey. In the rainy season, the highway is often blocked at several places at the same time due to landslides. “There are more potholes on the road than smooth, blacktopped areas,” said businessman Sahi.
The 223 kilometers long Karnali Highway is divided into two segments. The highway section from Dailekh's Dahikhola to Jumla (104 KM) is looked after by the Road Division Office Jumla while the 132 km long section from Dahikhola to Surkhet (Bangesimal)is looked after by the Road Division Office, Surkhet. Most of the bridges on the highway have already been built. According to the Road Division Office, Surkhet, there was no budget for the improvement of the Karnali Highway last year. The condition of the road is even more critical because there is no sufficient budget even when the road’s condition is poor.
According to Raju Poudel , information officer (engineer) at the Road Division Office, Jumla, the main problem is that the highway was very steep. “Instead of blacktopping the road, the focus should be on widening the highway,” said Poudel. This year, a small budget of Rs 50 million has been allocated for upgrading the highway from Harre under the Ratna Highway to Dahikhola of Karnali Highway.
According to Tula Ram Sharma, an engineer from the Road Division Office, work is being done to broaden the road, blacktop it, and build the side drain and wall. “The budget is very low,” said Sharma.
