RUPANDEHI: An 11-kilometre stretch of Siddhartha Highway between Butwal and Jhumsa was obstructed twice last week by mudslides that occurred in Siddhababa on the border of Rupandehi and Palpa districts. Since the mudslides in the area are a recurring phenomenon, the district offices of the Division of Roads in Rupandehi and Palpa have kept their teams alert to clear the roads, but no discussion has been held with the stakeholders for the sustainable management of landslides and formulate necessary plan, claim locals. Compared to Rs 5 lakhs last year, this year Rs 53 lakhs were allotted to check the landslides, Butwal-based Road Division Office stated. Officials say the fund will be used to clear the roads, purchase gabion, construct a support wall and a stream, for bio-engineering and blacktopping the roads. Engineers see two long-term solutions to the problem. The first is to construct an alternative road linking Belbas to Jhumsa and the other is to lap up the technology that is already in use in Krishnabhir, Dhading. However, serious talks in this connection are yet to be held, the Butwal-based Road Division Office said. The proposal of constructing alternative road linking Belbas to Jhumsa was prepared by the Butwal municipality and forwarded to the Road Division Office. Engineer Devendra Prasad Shah said meaningful initiative to construct the alternative road was yet to be taken. However, a 21-km muddy road from Belbas to Nuwakot hill was constructed at a cost of Rs 7 lakhs with a view to developing Nuwakot as a tourist destination. Bishnu Khanal, spokesperson for Butwal municipality, said attention of the National Planning Commission and the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works had been drawn to construct the alternative road. The Palpa District Development Committee has also expressed its commitment to allocate budget for the construction of the road. Once a Detailed Project Report is prepared, it will confirm which method — constructing alternative road or adopting the technology already in use in Krishnabhir — is more appropriate. The landslides in Siddhababa area have been causing huge loss of lives and property. A bus and a truck were buried when a landslide occurred in Siddhababa on 8 October 2004. Eleven passengers travelling in the bus were killed in the accident. Siddhababa is a tourist spot, with two temples of Siddhababa on the border of Butwal and Palpa. Two schools are being run with the funds collected from the temples. The offerings are also being used for the development of infrastructure in the area. Hundreds of devotees from Nepal and India come to the temples to offer prayers everyday. Many locals of Butwal go to the Siddhababa temple for morning walk. It is necessary to seek an early alternative to solve the problem of recurring landslides on Butwal-Jhumsa stretch. Whenever traffic on the stretch is obstructed, it affects normal lives in Lumbini, Gandaki and Dhaulagiri zones.