KATHMANDU, Nov 10: A parliamentary committee has directed the authorities concerned to accelerate the ongoing road-widening project in the Kathmandu Valley so as to complete it soon as the lack of timely completion of the project has left roads here dusty and prompted to traffic congestion. 

A meeting of the Development Committee today issued directives towards this end. Besides, the meeting directed the authorities concerned to display details informing the public about the roads included in the widening project. 

Likewise, the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority has been asked to present a progress report on the Tripureshwor-Nagdhunga Road widening project within the next seven days, as said by Committee President Rabindra Adhikari. 

The Authority has been instructed to mend pits, potholes and other structural defects in the roads in the capital within a month and properly cultivate trees planted on the midway of roads during the 18th SAARC summit and to restore the roads that turn dusty in winter and become muddy during the winter, giving trouble to travelers. 

The Committee drew the attention of the government towards the completion of the widening project by coming mid-March and to sketch an outline to systematize the Valley transport network. 

More, the Committee directed the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to encourage pedestrians to use overhead bridges and footpaths, systematize the increasing settlement outside the Kathmandu Valley and formulate an umbrella act for the Authority. 

Stating that demolition of an overhead bridge at Kalanki ( before its completion) constructed going against the direction of the Public Account Committee caused a huge loss to the state coffer, the meeting asked the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office to present a report of this within a week. 

Minister for Urban Development Arjun Narshing KC shared that national urban development strategy was under the progress of releasing soon. 

He added that minimum infrastructures like facility of drinking water, sanitation among others required for all 217 municipalities would be fulfilled soon. 

Minister KC further informed that the concerned bodies were directed to develop all river side corridors to be eligible to ply the vehicles aimed at lessening the traffic jam in the valley. 

He said that the government was working out to identify genuine landless squatters residing along the Bagmati River side to shift them to proper location saying that without shifting them the rivers could not be returned to previous stage. 

Lawmakers, Mahendra Yadav, Anita Devkota, Lalitgunj Sahi, Baijnath Chaudhary, Tulsa Rana Magar, Shanta Manavi, Seeta Giri, Guru Prasad Burlakoti, Janardan Dhakal, Ram Chandra Pokharel, Ram Kumar Bhattarai and Shivdutta Chaudhary have stressed on completing the road widening works soon. 

Similarly, secretly at the Ministry, Deependra Nath Sharma shared that 55 percent road expansion in the Kathmandu valley was competed so far. 

The Authority Development Commissioner Bhaikaji Tiwari said that the road expansion works were conducting slowly as 368 cases were filed in the court against the step of expansion of roads in the capital. RSS 

 
• road-widening project
 
• kathmandu
 
• traffic congestion
 
• development committee