A feasibility study for building an alternative route to the landslide-prone Muglin-Narayangadh stretch has completed, the Department of Roads (DoR) has said.

The proposed project, Mugling-Thimura section, will drastically minimise the number of vehicles plying the Muglin-Narayangadh section, according to Ramesh Kumar Singh, Deputy Spokesperson at the DoR. Nearly 10,000 vehicles pass through the section daily.

“We have completed the feasibility study for this project. And we have finalised a consultant for a detailed project report (DPR),” said Singh, adding that the DPR would be ready within six months. The proposed 27km Mugling-Thimura stretch will be constructed on the other side of Trishuli River and parallel to the Muglin-Narayangadh section.

“We are thinking of using this proposed stretch for one-way traffic movement. This will surely reduce pressure on the present section. But we will not be stopping vehicular movement on the existing route,” he added. 

Frequent landslides have obstructed the stretch, one of the trunk routes linking the Capital with the Tarai and most of the western Nepal, often leaving thousands of passengers stranded hours on ends. This week traffic was blocked for 34 hours along the section. Seven people have lost their lives in landslides along the stretch which is undergoing expansion.

Engineering geologist Ranjan Kumar Dahal said that the government should have explored for other alternatives earlier as other available routes connecting Kathmandu with outlying districts are not compatible for mass transportation. “So far alternative routes to Kathmandu Valley are not that reliable. Punctuated with sharp turns, the available alternative roads are unsafe for mass transportation,” said Dahal.

Experts have identified as many as 29 landslide-prone spots along the stretch since April, making it highly dangerous for passengers.     

Meanwhile, the District Administration Office, Chitwan and the Muglin-Narayangadh Road Widening Project have decided to relocate 44 houses which were under landslide risks.

“We have conducted a geological study which recommended moving these houses. However, they are reluctant to move away,”

said engineer Shiva Khanal, information officer with the project. “We have assured them of compensation in this new fiscal year if they move away.”

Most of those houses lie in Kalikhola and Chorkhola areas of Icchakamna Rural Municipality and some are located in Kerabari and Seti Dobhan of Bharatpur Metropolitan City.