KATHMANDU, August 24: Potholes have made the Dhobi Khola Corridor, which was once lovely, unsafe. The risk of accidents has increased as the potholes on the road are not repaired on time.  

“Will the porthole be repaired only if the people die?” asks Arjun Thakuri, a taxi driver, “If not, why are the agencies concerned lagging behind in filling the potholes which can be easily seen by anyone?"

Thakuri said that the pothole in front of the vegetable market, while going toward Om Hospital from the Bhatkeko Pul near Chabahil, is very dangerous . He claimed that he himself had fallen into the hole one night but had managed to avoid any serious accident. "When you are driving at your own pace, you suddenly come across a pothole," he says, "Trying to turn quickly puts you at the risk of an accident."

Not only here, many potholes are found in the Dhobi khola corridor while going to Chabahil from Anamnagar. "There have been many accidents due to the potholes in the middle of the road," said Samjhana Tamang, pointing to the pothole in front of the shop. "It's been months, but no one has shown interest in filling this huge pothole."

At places, the road has caved in either due to prolonged waterlogging or due to heavy vehicles. "I don't know if the road is weak or because there are too many vehicles," says Mahesh Gajurel, “Soon after the road is pitched, the blacktopping starts coming off.” He said that the road has become patchy and uneven, due to the potholes repaired in the past. "The blacktopping is coming off in many other places," he said, "If these potholes were filled in time, the risk would have been reduced."

The construction of the corridor increased the beauty of the city and made this road easy for the common people. This is not the first time that potholes have appeared on the roads of the corridor. Every year potholes are there but they have been repaired. Two years ago, the then minister for urban development Krishna Gopal Shrestha, who went to inspect the corridor, gave instructions to fill the potholes on the road within a week. Soon after his instructions, the potholes were filled.

Shrestha had said at that time that the government could take any step to prevent the loss of the dignity and beauty of Dhobi Khola, which is the lifeline of the Valley. Shortly thereafter, the urban minister changed. He also monitored the road. Subarna Thapa, a local, says that the potholes were filled again. He said that no minister has come for an inspection after that.

"Potholes will not be filled just by the people's complaints," said Thapa,who lives near Gopikrishna Cinema Hall, “A highly-placed official needs to issue instructions for the potholes to be filled.” Apart from this, garbage is piled up under the bridges within the corridor, businesses are conducted on the footpaths, the road is also becoming unattractive. Though the construction of the corridor which extends from Budhanilkantha to Shankhamul, was started 20 years ago, the project is yet to complete. 

This project, which is under the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA), has said that 90 percent of the work has been completed. Work was started in 2001 to manage the chaotic traffic jams on the roads of Kathmandu. The spokesperson for KVDA, Navraj Pyakurel, said that since the issue of potholes has not been reported, they will proceed with the work after learning about the matter. "We will find out what has happened," he said, "If this is our work, we will complete it on time."

 
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