KATHMANDU, May 13: The Department of Roads (DoR) has begun withdrawing its jurisdiction from certain roads within Kathmandu Valley and has prepared a proposal to hand over several roads within the Ring Road to the Kathmandu and Lalitpur metropolitan cities. The DoR plans to transfer these roads if the two metropolises agree to take responsibility.
DoR spokesperson Arjun Aryal said the department will submit the proposal to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport within a few days. The DoR has proposed handing over 147 kilometers of roads within the valley to capable local governments willing to manage them. At present, the Kathmandu Road Division oversees 472 kilometers of roads.
"We want to step back from managing 147 kilometers of roads inside the Ring Road," said Shubharaj Neupane, head of the Federal Supervision and Monitoring Office in Kathmandu.
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Shubharaj Neupane said the DOR will hand over roads to the Kathmandu and Lalitpur metropolitan cities in the first phase. "After that, we plan to gradually transfer other roads to additional local governments," he said. "Our responsibility is to manage only national highways, and we will now move forward accordingly."
Last year, the Kathmandu Road Division and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City clashed over the demolition of a road in New Road. In response, the Road Division began marking the roads under its jurisdiction with survey pegs. "After the New Road dispute, we decided there's no reason to keep managing roads that local governments can handle," Neupane said.
More than 30 agencies are currently upgrading and maintaining roads in the Kathmandu Valley, yet the roads remain in poor condition. Potholes cover many areas, forcing commuters to endure daily hardships.
The DOR operates separate road division offices in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur. It has also established a dedicated office for road expansion and development in the valley.
Kathmandu and Lalitpur metropolitan cities, along with various municipalities and rural municipalities, have also taken responsibility for maintaining and upgrading roads. The valley includes 21 such local units. Altogether, 23 government bodies—including 21 local, one provincial, and one federal—manage the valley's roads. More than 30 offices across these three tiers of government are actively working on road-related projects. Currently, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City maintains 1,400 kilometers of roads.
