23 trucks carrying apples stranded on Karnali Highway

Jumla, Sept 1: A total of 23 trucks carrying around 184 metric tonnes of apples produced in Jumla district have been stranded on the road since last Sunday after a landslide in Gaganekhola, Kalikot district, blocked the Karnali Highway.

Rambhakta Adhikari, Chief of the Agriculture Development Office in Jumla, confirmed that the blockage of the Karnali Highway has caused vehicles carrying locally grown apples to become stuck near the site where the landslide occurred. Those stranded vehicles are carrying apples worth Rs 130 million, according to the Agriculture Development Office, Jumla.

Efforts are underway to remove the debris to resume traffic along the highway. However, it is reported that the process to clear off debris would take time because huge rocks have fallen onto the road. Dipendra Kumar Chaudhary, Head of the Road Division Office, Jumla, shared that the Nepal Army personnel have been mobilised to break up the rocks and resume highway traffic.

Kalpana Buda, a resident, shared that passengers have been stranded on the highway due to the disruption for the past two days.