Kathmandu. Although the Tatopani trade route between Nepal and China has been put into operation, the bad condition of the road has increased the risk of accidents.
The Tatopani crossing, which has been closed for a long time, has been operational since the end of Baisakh on both sides. However, due to the risk of accidents, the Nepali businessmen have not been able to transport the necessary materials due to the poor condition of the road from Bahrbise to the border crossing on the Nepal side.
Lately, due to the bad condition of the road, traders have stopped importing goods from Tatopani crossing. The businessmen complained that because the roads are not good and it takes a long time to bring goods into Nepal through the Tatopani border, they import goods from another border. Businessmen have to suffer every year due to the inability to upgrade and widen the road.
The Tatopani area is also geographically at high risk of disasters, so the road is dilapidated with the onset of the rainy season. Although Tatopani is the main trading point of Nepal connecting Nepal-China, it is always affected by the problem of the road. The main road connecting Tatopani, the trade border with China, is always flooded due to problems such as floods and landslides.
Since the government is unable to repair the road from Bahrbise to Tatopani crossing in Sindhupalchok for a long time, there is always a need to drive vehicles at risk. The risk is more on the road connecting Tatopani crossing because of the bank of Bhotekosi river which flows between two mountains. Due to the fact that it is a trading post, there is a high risk of road accidents due to the fact that large containers carrying goods cannot move easily, but so far the government has not been able to find a solution to the long-term problem by upgrading the road.
Businessmen who import goods from China through Tatopani border complain that due to lack of maintenance of the main road of the border, there is also a problem in transporting the goods. In a conversation with the media, businessman Damodar Satyal said that it is difficult to bring the 40-foot container to Kathmandu because the road is dilapidated.
He said that the government has failed to strengthen the road infrastructure connecting Tatopani, a major trading point with China. He said that only if the road infrastructure is strengthened, the operation of the checkpoint will be easy. Satyal said that due to dilapidated roads, the price of goods imported from China increases when they are delivered to Kathmandu.
Similarly, Tatopani road container driver Pembachiring Tamang said that it is uncomfortable to drive shipping containers on Tatopani road. He said that since the road is small and narrow, there is no place to give a site when containers come from both sides. He also said that there is a problem of the container hitting the hill above the road from time to time.
When the Tatopani crossing becomes fully operational, the traffic on the road will increase, but the condition of the road is miserable. Although the Tatopani border crossing is operating smoothly, there is a problem in the transportation of goods due to the poor and dilapidated condition of the roads. In various sections of Kodari Lokmarg, the roads are damaged every year due to floods and floods during the rainy season.
It seems necessary for the government to make a long-term plan and solve the road problem in order to organize the road section connecting Tatopani border crossing from Bahrbise to border crossing.