MUSTANG: The Kagbeni–Muktinath road section, which had been obstructed since Wednesday due to heavy snowfall, has reopened from Friday morning.
The road was brought back into operation through the initiative of the District Administration Office and Varagung Muktikshetra Rural Municipality.
The 12-kilometre blacktopped road leading to Muktinath had been completely blocked following heavy snowfall on Tuesday night. In response, excavators from the Muktinath–Jomsom–Korala Road Project were mobilised from Thursday afternoon at the request of the district administration and the rural municipality.
To clear the snow and resume traffic, a joint security team comprising the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police, led by Chief District Officer Ajita Sharma, was deployed. Local elected representatives, including Rural Municipality Vice-chairperson Diki Gurung and Ward Chairperson Karmaghyacho Gurung, were also actively involved in the operation.
Information Officer at the District Police Office, Police Inspector Santosh Basyal, said that the blocked section was cleared using dozers from the Korala Road Project with the mobilization of the District Security Committee and local representatives.
Although the road has reopened, Basyal cautioned that in shaded and damp sections, the snow has frozen hard like stones, creating difficulties particularly for two-wheelers and heavy vehicles heading uphill towards Muktinath.
The District Police Office has requested motorists to avoid travelling to and from Muktinath during the early morning hours and advised that vehicles operate only after 11 am for the time being.
With the reopening of the road, vehicles stranded in Kagbeni since Wednesday have started heading towards their destinations. Ward Chairperson Karmaghyacho Gurung of Varagung Muktikshetra–4 said that if there is no further snowfall, the road condition is expected to improve further in the coming days.
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