Banking News – The Golakhark–Rajduwali section of the Mechi Highway in Ilam has been closed after the road collapsed due to continuous rainfall over the past two days, according to Chief District Officer Laxman Dhakal.

According to Dhakal, heavy vehicles have been unable to operate on the road for the past four days. Although motorcycles were allowed to use the road until Sunday, all types of vehicles have been completely prohibited from operating from Monday after the road subsided further overnight.

A large number of cargo trucks and other vehicles traveling from Ilam, Panchthar, and Taplejung to Jhapa, as well as those heading in the opposite direction, have been stranded on both banks of the Mai River.

“Continuous rainfall has been causing roads to collapse and increasing the risk of landslides,” said Chief District Officer Laxman Dhakal. “Motorcycles were allowed to operate until Sunday, but as the risk has increased further, the road section has been completely closed for an indefinite period from today.”

The Tilkeni–Simalgola Road, which had been serving as an alternative route to the Rajduwali section, has also been blocked after Sunday’s flood washed away the diversion at the Jogmai River.

Similarly, the diversion over the Puwa River on the Kechana–Kanchanjungha Road (Mechi Corridor), the shortest route connecting Ilam and Jhapa, was also washed away by floodwaters. As a result, road connectivity between Ilam, Panchthar, Taplejung, and Jhapa has been completely disrupted, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Laxmi Bhandari of the District Police Office, Ilam.

According to Bhawan Bhattarai, Chief of the Road Division Office, Ilam, civil structures required for the installation of Bailey bridges at the Jogmai and Puwa rivers were completed one and a half months ago. However, the problem remains unresolved because the Bailey bridge materials, which were to be provided free of charge by the Government of India, have not yet arrived.

With the road completely blocked, people traveling for essential purposes have been forced to cross the landslide-affected Rajduwali section on foot to reach their destinations.