Nepal-China friendship bridge at Hilsa ready, but inauguration and operation stalled

Although construction of the Nepal-China friendship bridge at the border point of Hilsa in Humla has been completed, it will not be inaugurated this year. The Chinese side had requested Nepal to arrange the inauguration, but Ram Raj Jaisi, chief of the Yari checkpoint customs office, said the Nepali side could not find the time due to problems including the Bhotekoshi flood.

Since the bridge has not been inaugurated, China has put up a barrier on its side and halted movement across the bridge. According to chief Jaisi, since snowfall has already begun, the inauguration has now been pushed back by at least eight to nine months.