Kathmandu, June 29

Kathmandu Metropolitan City has formed a coordination and monitoring committee led by its Executive Officer Ishwar Raj Poudel for effective traffic management in Kathmandu Valley.

The committee comprises director general of Department of Transport Management, director general of Department of Roads, DIG of Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, director general of Department of Urban Development and Building Construction and director general of Department of Water Supply and Sewerage.

It also includes commissioner of Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, chief of Melamchi Water Supply Project Implementation Directorate, regional director of Mid-regional Road Directorate, director general of Kathmandu Valley Khanepani Limited, managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority, director general of Nepal Telecom and executive chiefs of all metropolitan cities and municipalities of the Valley as members of the committee.

The committee was formed to implement the directives issued by Minister for Home Affairs Janardan Sharma on June 16 with regards to traffic management in the Valley.

According to KMC, the committee will maintain coordination with all the concerned agencies to upgrade and repair roads, make the roads dust-free, regulate and manage the transport sector, make arrangement of parking spaces, and construct overhead bridges, flyovers and underpasses. The committee members will mobilise their respective agencies to accomplish these tasks.

“The tasks related to installation of traffic lights and CCTV cameras, marking of zebra-crossings and repair of roads to make them dust-free will be executed in coordination with the concerned agencies in a fast-track mode,” read a decision taken by the first meeting of the committee earlier this week. It has also attached high priority to the construction of road infrastructures, including overhead bridges, flyovers, underpasses and parking lots.

According to the decision, traffic management campaign will be launched with the participation of all stakeholder agencies. The campaign will focus on problems like traffic congestion, environmental pollution, and management and regulation of urban transport.

“The committee will work in such a way that Valley denizens feel the difference in traffic/transport sector within a few weeks,” read the decision. The committee has also been assigned to develop regular and periodic progress report.