Kathmandu, August 25

Locals of Nuwakot have stopped waste carrying vehicles of Kathmandu Metropolitan City at Aathmile since yesterday evening demanding that the highway be constructed.

This is the second time local people have obstructed vehicles carrying waste in this month.  Earlier, locals obstructed waste dumping activity on August 2.

According KMC, though there is no role and responsibility of KMC in highway repair work, locals stopped waste carriers since yesterday evening. Today, KMC Environment Management Division Chief Rabin Man Shrestha was busy holding dialogue with locals of Aathmile. “We have sent a few vehicles through another route, but most of the vehicles were stopped at Aathmile stretch of the Balaju-Kakani-Trishuli Highway which obstructed waste disposal of KMC,” Shrestha told The Himalayan Times.

“We are still trying to open the obstruction through dialogue, but due to the demands put forth by the locals, which are beyond the KMC’s authority, it is very difficult to reach any agreement,” he shared.

He said frequent obstruction of waste carrying vehicles with demand to meet irrelevant demands had become a headache of KMC. “KMC alone does not dispose waste at Okharpauwa landfill site, there are other municipalities too that dispose waste at the site, but nobody raises any question regarding other municipalities,” He added.

The Valley comprises Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan City, and Bhaktapur Municipality, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality, Kirtipur Municipality, Tokha Municipality, Budhanilkantha Municipality, Gokarneshwor Municipality, Kageshwori-Manohara Municipality, Shankharapur Municipality, Changunarayan Municipality, Mahamanjushree-Nagarkot Municipality, Mahalaxmi Municipality, Karyabinayak Municipality, Nagarjun Municipality and Tarakeshwor Municipality, among other municipalities.

After talks with the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City on August 2, locals of Okharpauwa had lifted the obstruction earlier this month. At that time Locals obstructed waste dumping saying the unmanaged and rampant dumping had posed health threats to the locals.