by gone: ropeway and railway
Under the clause 3 iv of Agreement on the Koshi Project between Nepal and India which was signed by Mahabir Shumsher and Gulzarilal Nanda on April 25, 1954 in Kathmandu, the Nepalese Government permitted to quarry construction materials boulders required for the Project from deposits site in Dharan and Chatra. Acordingly, the rail tracks were laid down to link Dharan and Chatra to Bhimnagar to transport boulders required for the construction of Koshi Barrage that was started in 1958 and completed in 1962. The rocks were transported to Ghopa, Railway Line for stock piles by ropeway from the quarry site at Phusre. Retention walls built to haul these materials on train wagons at Ghopa still stands but in a ruined stage. In fact, the place is now called âReetingâ probably a derivative term for âRetentionâ. The train was still running in the late 60âs or was it early 70âs. However, one cannot believe that Dharan and Chartra were once linked with railways to Bhimnagar since there isnât any sign of steel rails or sleepers expect some culverts or masonry works in few places. Nevertheless, one can find few steel rails now erected as electricity poles at Chartra apart from an overhead water tank that used to fill trains in early days.
