OPMCM entrusts beautification of capital city to KMC

Kathmandu, January 5

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers has assigned Kathmandu Metropolitan City exclusive responsibility for collection of waste by 8:00 am, remove construction materials piled up on roads and pavements, take down unauthorised hoarding boards and reduce environmental pollution in the metropolis.

A press release issued by KMC said the OPMCM has given the metropolis exclusive and shared responsibilities of various work to be taken to beautify the city. As per the directive of the OPM- CM, KMC will repair sidewalk railings, fix potholes and cracks on the road, establish a CCTV control room, construct portable overhead bridges, designate roadside parking box, construct vertical parking facility, upgrade roads, make service lanes and open corridor along the Bishnumati Link Road.

Earlier, Metropolitan Traffic Police Division had identified New Baneshwor, Putalisadak, Keshar Mahal, Kalimati, Thapathali, Koteshwor, Chabahil, Gaushala and Narayan Gopal Chowk as places where overhead bridges should be constructed at the earliest to reduce traffic congestion caused by regular movement of pedestrians.

Traffic management has turned to be daunting task in the metropolis due to inadequate traffic lights at thoroughfares and on main roads and also due to limited human resource. Roads in Kathmandu have many potholes and cracks and lack enough sidewalks and sufficient overhead bridges for pedestrians. As many as 254 persons were killed in road accidents in the valley in 2018-19, compared to 194 in the previous fiscal. Around 33 per cent of the victims were pedestrians.

In December, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers had formed a ‘rapid taskforce’ team in coordination with other concerned government bodies to blacktop, fill up potholes or upgrade roads inside the valley.

Road network of the valley has been extended from 1,319km in 1995 to 1,596km in 2016, which is a mere 20 per cent increase in the past 20 years.