Kathmandu, February 7:

While vehicular traffic has been facing more and more traffic congestion at vital stretches in the city taking heavy toll on harried commuters, institutional efforts are underway to create diversions and corridors.

Koteswor, New Baneswor intersection and Gaushala, among others, have been identified as places which are prone to traffic congestion at peak hours, thus needing some remedial measures.

“Since some areas face congestion, we have planed to have corridors and diversions,” said Ayodhya Prasad Shrestha, Chief at the Divisional Road Office, Min Bhavan. Plans are afoot to have as many diversions and corridors as possible. He said that the Road Division Office, under the Department of Roads, has planned to black-top the six-km gravel road that connects Jadibuti to Jorpati bridge as part of the bid to streamline traffic on the other side of the airport.

“Once it is done, we are sure that the vehicular traffic in the region will ease off considerably,” Shretha said.

Another project is diversion from a point near Golf Course to Guheswori, with black-topping cost put at Rs 25 million. Add to it a gravelled corridor along Dhobhikhola in Maitidevi which costs Rs 6 million. Another Rs 250 million has gone into black-topping of a 250-metre stretch of the road near Om Nursing Home.

Work is underway on a track road near Gopi Krishna Cinema with total cost put at Rs 7.5 million for the 500-metre side road.

Similarly, expanding a stretch of road from New Baneswor intersection down to Sankhamul has cost Rs 13.5 million for mere 1 km. Road job from Thamel to Samakhusi costs Rs 10 million towards black-topping and building gutters.

Likewise, another Rs 10 million could be needed to have the diversion linking Tilganga to Sinamangal bride. While the Division Office gets Rs 10 million for routine road maintenance, it gets another Rs 20 million for recurrent road maintenance annually. While the total length of the road in capital is 812 km, only 358 km falls under the jurisdiction of Division Office.

“It is their job to look after inner arteries. That is not our job,” Shrestha said. Conversely, next time you see either Ring Road or main thoroughfares in a state of disrepair feel free to flay Divisional Road Office. “Yes it is our job,” Shrestha said, lamenting delayed clearance of files by the Ministry of Finance.