Shyam Shrestha, 36, fell into a manhole left open by Kathmandu Upatyakya Khanepani Limited (KUKL) in front of Tribhuban University entrance and died. This is a tragedy of epic proportions. A young man lost his life due to sheer negligence of a project that should have carried out its work properly. The manhole should have been covered and a warning sing should have been posted around it. This case must be investigated, and the culprits must be slapped with manslaughter charges. 

Too often, our state systems do not take such incidents seriously. A ten-year-old was swept away when she fell into a sewage canal in Kathmandu last year. Her life was saved but the episode was emblematic of how apathetic our state is when it comes to safety of its people. That incident in the monsoon of 2017 did not teach our city anything. That a young man has to die due to gross negligence of a project is a national shame. 

The Oli-led government is never tired of talking about pro-people initiatives. However, reforms in transportation, education and health have not even started. Constitutionally guaranteed rights are in the name only. The government is nowhere close to delivering any of its many promises made during in the campaign trail. 

The concerned authorities and people should have been asked for proper explanation for the tragedy in Kirtipur on Saturday. Why was the work-site left unprotected? Why wasn’t the due process followed while carrying out works on that particular manhole? How many people have to die before the government and its concerned authorities wake up to save lives of its people? 

Our projects have been openly flouting contract-stated safety standards on project sites. Sometimes it’s the people who die and in other times it’s the workers. But rarely do we see proper investigation into such incidents. It appears as if the state does not care about deaths of one or more people who have no voice at the highest levels of our government. It is rather heartbreaking to see the silence of our government in the completely avoidable death of a young man in the heart of our city. 

 
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