33 houses in Palpa at risk of landslide

Kathmandu - Thirty three houses at Panimill in Tinau rural municipality-3 in the district are at risk as the land in the area has caved in due to a landslide on the Palpa-Butwal road. The landslide is caused due to the limestone quarry of Arghakhanchi cement industry under the Siddhartha Highway, it is said. Two families have been displaced due to the landslide. The road leading to the quarry constructed in violation of construction standards is to blame for the landslide. The local people are forced to live in a constant fear due to the landslide.

"We cannot have good sleeps due to fear," said a local Chameli Thapa. The landslip has swept away the road which has been caved in at least four places, said another local Man Bahadur Gaha. Vehicles carrying limestone and construction materials overweight than capacity of the road have caused the road caved in, said the local people.

The road has been expanded through the area at the risk of a landslide, causing the problem, said a local Krishna Pandeya, adding that a landslip also occurred in the area last year. The landslide may affect the Siddhartha Highway, he said. Efforts were on to take the people at risk to safety, said Prem Pandey, ward chair of the rural municipality. A team including the State Assembly member Basanta Gharti, the rural municipality chair Om Bahadur Gharti and spokesperson for the rural municipality Rajesh Shrestha recently inspected the affected area.