Government Plans to Facilitate Vehicle Movement on BP Highway near Roshi River During Monsoon

Approximately a year and a half ago, continuous rainfall in the month of Ashoj severely affected the BP Highway, especially in areas surrounding the Roshi River. The government has now prepared arrangements to allow vehicle movement during the monsoon season in this region. The Director General of the Department of Roads has provided information regarding this plan. On Sunday, flooding at Roshi River trapped 89 passengers inside a microbus, compelling various security agencies to conduct a joint rescue operation that successfully evacuated all individuals by midnight. This incident underscored the necessity for the government to advance such a plan.

“For the past month, we have been operating vehicles via a river diversion route,” said Director General Vijay Jaisi. “Currently, work is underway to allow vehicles to run on the original alignment. Our efforts focus on ensuring uninterrupted travel during the peak rainy season by making the main road passable for vehicles. Hence, vehicles have been running through the diversion for now.”

According to Director General Jaisi, although full repairs to the road have not been completed, arrangements will be made to permit vehicle movement. “During the river diversion, we coordinated with the Meteorological Department to regulate vehicle stoppages as necessary. However, the situation that occurred on Sunday was sudden and unexpected.”

On Tuesday, the Kavrepalanchok District Administration Office issued a notification stating that vehicle movement on the Khurkot-Bhukundebesi section will be completely suspended from 5 PM to 5 AM. “This notification is intended to ensure public safety while reconstruction work is being carried out between Kavre Katunjebesi and Sindhuli Nepalthok,” explained Chief District Officer Gopal Kumar Adhikari.

“The approximately 28-kilometer stretch is occasionally flooded by river waters or may become a riverbed itself. This condition, when vehicles break down, can lead to heightened risks from flooding,” Director General Jaisi added. He expressed confidence that an additional month will be granted to complete repairs on the half-damaged section alongside the river. In Nepal, the monsoon season generally begins in mid-June and lasts until mid-October.