Kathmandu, August 11

As the number of fatal accidents have risen on roads that were constructed without proper engineering study, the Development and Technology Committee of the Parliament has directed the government not to allow the opening of any road tracks that have not conducted proper engineering study.

Referring to the environmental degradation and misuse of resources, the committee has also directed the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) to ‘evaluate’ the topographical condition of the area besides ensuring appropriate measures to make road construction sustainable.

The committee has also directed MoPIT to immediately reconstruct and repair the roads that have been damaged by the recent floods and landslides.

Kalyani Khadka, chairperson of the parliamentary committee, said that haphazardly built roads without consultation with engineers were the prime reason for most of the accidents that have been taking place in the country. “It is time we looked into this issue seriously as a lot of people have lost their lives due to the poor quality of the roads that are being built,” she added.

The committee further directed the government not to build any roads without conducting the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and to make sure that local natural resources are not misused while constructing roads.

Moreover, the committee has directed MoPIT to build proper culverts and drainage system along the roads by taking into account the amount of rain that the respective area receives during the monsoon.

The meeting also asked MoPIT to ensure proper maintenance of different roads as major festivals like Dashain and Tihar that the country celebrates are fast approaching.

It has also directed the ministry to resolve the issues related to the dispute on who is responsible for constructing local, provincial and federal roads.

Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth, informed that the government will soon finalise the bidding process of roads and bridges related to the ministry for their timely execution.

“We have planned to complete the bidding process before September 17 and the process has already been initiated,” he said, adding that other governmental authorities should not halt the construction activities in the name of EIA.

“I hope the oversight mechanism will not interfere with our works when the projects have started,” he further added.