Local authorities stop traffic on the Karnali suspension bridge where 14 mules were stuck

Legislator emphasizes conservation

KATHMANDU, June 12: Local authorities have stopped traffic on the Karnali suspension bridge where 14 mules were stuck on Sunday.

Traffic was blocked as the iron rods on one side of the bridge broke while the mules carrying daily consumables were crossing the river over the suspension bridge connecting Kolkadha, which is in Panchadewal Binayak Municipality-9 of Achham and Aathabis Municipality-4 of Dailekh.

Residents of Chiltada, Bhatgaun, Bhanakot, Tamkot and Raku in Panchadewal Binayak Municipality-9 are facing problems in transporting daily necessities to the nearby markets of Khidki Jiula and Rakam.

Shiva Prasad Lamsal, Chief District Officer of Accham, said that traffic on the bridge was stopped due to the danger to passenger traffic without any technical inspection, assessment or testing.

The closure of the bridge has also affected the students of Dailekh and Accham. Students of Chandika School in Accham and Pre-secondary School in Dailekh are having trouble getting around.

Lamsal said that the Finance Ministry and other concerned authorities have been informed about the immediate repair of the dilapidated bridge connecting Panchadewal Binayak Municipality-9 and Aathabis Municipality-4 in Dailekh and the construction and commissioning of a new bridge as part of the Karnali River construction.

A total of 14 mules were stuck on a suspension bridge on Sunday. 12 of them were rescued alive by local residents and security forces, the other two did not survive.

Meanwhile, MP Sita Kumari Rana demanded that the suspension bridges in Karnali district be repaired as soon as possible during the House of Representatives (HoR) session on Wednesday. She argued that the residents of Dailekh and Achham districts had faced major disruption to their movement due to the bridge collapse.

During the special hours of the HoR meeting, Sita Kumari Rana informed that the Dailekh District Administration Office had decided to close schools in the district as there was a risk of suspension bridges breaking down.

Rana, a representative of Dailekh district in Karnali province, expressed concern that the decision had negatively affected the studies of local students.

A total of 14 mules were stuck in the suspension bridge on Sunday because it was in poor condition. A steel wire rope on the bridge had broken, leaving the mules stuck in the bridge for several hours before they could be rescued.

Rana warned that there could be human casualties if the bridge is not repaired in time. “The government should repair the suspension bridge as soon as possible and send a technical team,” she insisted.

Rana further said that looming natural disasters with the onset of monsoon season in the country could further aggravate the situation there. “The people of Karnali should feel the presence of the government,” she added.