KATHMANDU, July 14: The draft of the Road Safety Act and National Road Safety Action Plan (Implementation Plan), prepared to centralize road safety measures, has been pending in the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) for the past six years. The draft includes provisions for reducing road accidents, handling incidents after accidents, and enhancing physical infrastructure related to road safety.
According to a senior official at the MoPIT, the current laws and regulations related to traffic management are inadequate for ensuring road safety. Rules and regulations on traffic management, such as noise control, speed regulation, and enforcement of traffic rules, are currently implemented based on existing laws and regulations.
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Employees of the MoPIT state that the draft of the Road Safety Act and Action Plan has been submitted to the Ministry of Finance for approval. Secretary Gopal Sigdel of the MoPIT mentioned that the final draft of the Road Safety Act has been prepared and will be presented to the Cabinet within a few days.
According to spokesperson Sushil Babu Dakhal of the MoPIT, presenting the draft of the Road Safety and Public Roads Act to the Cabinet has been delayed as the Ministry of Finance has not given its consent yet.
Spokesperson Dakhal said, "We had prepared separate drafts of the Road Safety Act and the Public Roads Act and sent them to the Ministry of Finance for approval. However, the Ministry requested us to incorporate them into a single draft. The Road Safety Act pertains to laws regarding road safety, while the Public Roads Act pertains to laws regarding road construction. These are two entirely different matters. The Ministry of Finance did not understand this."
Another senior official from the MoPIT states, "In other countries, road safety laws and action plans are given utmost importance. India has even established a dedicated Road Safety Committee upon order from the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, in our country, such laws have not yet been formulated. This is an unfortunate situation."
According to the official, the initial draft of the Road Safety Act was prepared in 2075 BS (2018 AD). Additionally, the Road Safety Action Plan was formulated three years ago. However, the effectiveness of these initiatives has been hindered as the Department of Roads has not established a Road Safety and Traffic Division due to the absence of laws.
