Kathmandu, June 17:

What’s broken

With the advent of monsoon, the occasional heavy rains have been taking their toll on locals in Tathaghat Marg-6, Mahankal. People here have been facing difficulty moving around as the street remains inundated. At the best of times it is slushy.

This 300-metre road, black-topped eight years ago, is in a bad shape now. The most affected are students of Shree Mangal Deep Boarding School.

Academic supervisor Jhabindra Kumar Subedi complains that students often fall ill during the monsoon season. Subedi said the school took an initiative to black-top the road, but found out “it would cost a lot to do it on its own,” and the local government would not extend a permit.

In the Local Autonomous Act there is a provision that requires locals to set up a user’s committee and contribute between 20 and 30 per cent of the cost of construction.

Pramod Lal Joshi, secretary of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Ward No 6, said locals had not contacted the ward office as of now with a proposal to fix the road. “Unless the locals come up with a proposal to fix the roads, we cannot go for it,” he said. However, Joshi admitted that the ward comprises many inner roads, several of which are in a bad shape. The ward office has received 15 repair proposals this year alone, but officials say those proposals have already been forwarded to the KMC, which will take a final decision regarding budget allocation and technical assessment.

Who is responsible

Locals are responsible, as they are the ones to take an initiative to draft and send a proposal to fix the road.

Academic supervisor Jhabindra Kumar Subedi admitted that the locals were indifferent and there is no unified willingness to take up the task.