Khotang, Oct 19: After the Foksingtar bridge over the Sunkoshi River on the Diktel-Gaighat road section of the Sagarmatha National Highway was swept away by floods, a high-level team of officials and experts from the Road Department conducted a field inspection.
The team was led by Dr. Vijay Jaisi, Chief of the Development Assistance Implementation Division under the Road Department.
The team included Politburo member of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) Bishal Bhattarai, Chairman of Diprung Chuichumma Rural Municipality Lokendra Rai, Chief of the Bridge Division of the Road Department Lalijan Khanal, and experts from Pulchowk Engineering College Dr. Rajan Suwal and Dr. Bharat Mandal. They visited Foksingtar and concluded that while the water level in the river has receded, 20 meters of the remaining bridge is still intact and safe.
Bridge Division Chief Lalijan Khanal informed that discussions are underway to either test the load-bearing capacity of the remaining portion and place an 80-meter-long Bailey bridge on top of it, or to install a 120-meter Bailey bridge upstream of the washed-out section to resume transportation.
The Road Department has requested an 80-meter-long Bailey bridge from the Government of India, which will be installed as soon as it arrives, said Khanal.
Since the Foksingtar bridge was swept away by floods, direct transportation links with the eastern Terai have been cut off. In response, local governments have expedited the repair of suspension bridges connecting various points in the district.
On October 16, a joint team of representatives, led by Member of Parliament Ram Kumar Rai, submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, calling for the immediate reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by floods and landslides in the district.
Many rural roads in the district remain blocked due to floods and landslides. However, sections of the Mid-Hills Highway, including the Diktel-Halesi and Diktel-Chakhewabhanjyang roads, have been cleared and reopened after landslide debris was removed. #road #flood
