Kathmandu, March 2

On January 5 Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha instructed the concerned road authorities to patch and repair all the potholes on the roads in Kathmandu valley within a fortnight, but even after two months, his instructions remain unimplemented.

The DPM had issued instruction to government authorities after inspecting road conditions in the Tahachal-Sitapaila road section in Kathmandu. Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians continue to see potholes on different sections of Kathmandu roads. Lack of coordination between the road department, water and electricity authorities continue to worsen road conditions.

A resident of Kirtipur Municipality-2 said only two months ago, Maitrinagar road was blacktopped and the water authorities started digging the roads to lay water pipes. Nepal Electricity Authority is also digging roads at many places to lay underground wires.

In various places of Kathmandu where water from Melamchi project is being distributed, leakage has created potholes on the road.

One can see multiple potholes in various sections of roads, including New Road, Lainchaur-Maharajgunj, Maharajgunj-Balaju, Tahachal-Chhauni, Tripureshwor-Kalanki, Kalimati-Kalanki road, Lagankhel, Kupandol, Kumaripati, and Balkhu.

Information Officer for Road Department Shyam Kumar Yadav told THT that roads under the road department were better, but most of the roads in Kathmandu were under different jurisdictions, including Kathmandu metropolis. He said road repairs could not be done properly from Kalanki to Maharajgunj section of the Ring Road because the government was in the process of starting second phase road project in that area. 'We cannot invest hugely in this section because that may go to waste when the second phase of the road project starts in that area,' Yadav said.

Chief of Road Division, Kathmandu Narayan Prasad Nihure said they had repaired almost 95 per cent roads under his jurisdiction, but since all the inner roads were under Kathmandu Metropolitan City, it was mainly the metropolis' duty to take care of those roads.

Spokesperson for Nepal Electricity Authority Suresh Bahadur Bhattarai said that it would be impossible to repair the road their employees dig within 15 days. ' Digging roads to lay underground wires is not an easy job in Kathmandu as many roads are narrow. Apart from that, we also have to coordinate with Department of Water Supply and Sewerage Management,' Bhattarai said and added that laying underground wires could take more than 18 months. 'In some sections of road,we have completed 70 per cent of work, while in other parts we have just started digging roads,' he added.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 3, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.