KATHMANDU: Widening of the roads in city areas will undoubtedly relieve people of the perennial traffic congestion. However, air pollution along the Koteshwor-Gatthaghar stretch of the Araniko Highway, which is being constructed by Kathmandu-Bhaktapur Road Improvement Project (KBRIP) under the Department of Roads, has emerged as a major bugbear. Anjana Lama, a butcher who sells mutton by the roadside at Lokanthali said, “As the area remains dusty all round the day, I have very few customers coming to my shop,” adding even regular customers have avoided purchasing mutton from her shop. She said her business has declined by 50 per cent. “Due to traffic jams during office hours, I prefer to go to office on foot but air pollution and over-speeding vehicles make it an ordeal,” said Shila Khadka, a commuter. The dust particles blown by the vehicles and the wind have not only affected small entrepreneurs and commuters, but also students and on-duty traffic policemen. Dristi KC, a student of Birendra Sainik Boarding School, who stands at Jadibuti chowk, gets wears a thin layer of dust by the time her school bus arrives. She said, “My school dress gets dirty within minutes and the pollution has also affected my health,” adding, “I have been suffering from cough and skin allergies for the last two months.” Sita Ram Hachhethu, chief of Koteshwor Traffic Police Range said they had been shuffling the duty of traffic policemen each day due to air pollution and its ensuing health hazards. He said, “Usually, each policeman has week-long duty at one place but due to air pollution along the highway, we have been changing their duties.” However, DoR official reasoned that they were unable to stop air pollution. Saroj Kumar Pradhan, chief, KBRIP said, “We are not as equipped as the developed countries, therefore, the public must bear pre-construction hazard.”