The poor shape of feeder roads in Kathmandu has been a big source of trouble for commuters. Potholes and muddy tracts have become a way of life for those living outside the heart of the city. That prompted the ordinary people to think that only the roads which the powerful people used received proper attention. That seems to be changing at least for now. The Kathmandu Metropolitan City is at present working to complete 26 inner city roads as per the 2060/61BS fiscal plan. Local participation has further emboldened the municipal authorities as 20 per cent of the total cost is borne by the public. The Power Works Department is already conducting feasibility studies and the scale of the work at hand in different areas as the topography and scientific analysis go a long way in determining the life of roads.

Kathmandu has a total of over 300 kilometres of road, of which over 100 kilometres need immediate attention. Inconvenience aside, derelict and run down arteries are also a cause of mishaps. And beyond that, the public, which pays the taxes, is entitled to proper roads in the same way as other essential services. But for some reason, revamping Kathmandu roads was the last thing in the minds of the authorities though the rhetoric about immediate repairs never ceased. Although former mayor Keshav Sthapit’s demolition drive was tied up with expansion of several roads in different parts of the city, the ambitious plan, too, met with premature end with his exit. The patch work the Department of Roads engaged in plugging the potholes in recent times on an ad hoc basis offered no sustainable solution. Only a full fledged construction work and laying down of road with proper gravelling base and an asphalt finish will provide the durability and do justice to the money spent. The public has waited excruciatingly long for that to happen.

Keeping in mind the constraints arising out of paucity of funds and other resources, the idea of plugging the potholes is not a bad one. But the temporary relief such undertaking offers has been a means to stall fresh road maintenance exercises for the fund-starved authorities. But roads in other districts, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, are in as poor shape as those in Kathmandu. That is even worse in radius roads that link the outskirts with the city. But no matter how good shape the roads are in, the utility they offer depends a great deal on the manner the citizens choose to use them. Reluctance to use the overhead bridges, jaywalking, random parking, haphazard road use by the drivers and road rage are some of the main problems that need to be tackled. A coordinated effort by the authorities from all three districts would be even more productive in this regard.