Kathmandu, November 1: The Mechi Highway, which has been blocked since Thursday due to continuous rainfall, remains closed today as well. Officials from the concerned authorities said that efforts are ongoing to clear the landslide that occurred along the Ilam–Rajduwali section of Ilam Municipality–9.

According to Pawan Bhattarai, head of the Road Division Office, even though the landslide debris has been removed, the road continues to subside. “We have been working day and night to reopen the highway, but the sinking of the road has not stopped,” he said.

The obstruction of the Mechi Highway has affected travelers from Ilam, Panchthar, Taplejung, and Jhapa districts. Vehicles traveling from Panchthar and Taplejung to Jhapa, including from Ilam, have been stranded at Golakhark Bhanjyang, while vehicles heading from Jhapa to Ilam, Panchthar, and Taplejung are stuck at Maikhola.

Meanwhile, the Mechi Corridor (Kechana–Kanchenjunga Road), which has been used as an alternative route, has also been disrupted. The bridge over Maikhola at Belase was destroyed by the October 4 flood, and the diversion over Jogmai Khola along the Tilkeni–Simlagolai road section was damaged by Thursday’s flood. As a result, passengers traveling from Ilam to Jhapa are also facing difficulties.

People’s News Monitoring Service.