The team led by Secretary at the Prime Minister´s Office Lila Mani Poudel and including the secretaries at the communication, physical planning and local development ministries and the chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), has asked Nepal Telecom, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and Nepal Drinking Water Corporation to immediately initiate removal of such poles.[break]
The team has also asked the Department of Roads to assist the three corporations in removing the poles.
The instruction came following a report by traffic police, which claimed that the rise in number of vehicular accidents and subsequent deaths were due to the poles erected in the middle of roads by these corporations. More than 50 percent of accidents in the Valley are said to occur due to vehicles hitting the poles, the report said. Most roads and alleys in Kathmandu have such poles installed in the middle.
"We have asked the corporations to instantly remove the poles to reduce the number of accidents and deaths," Secretary Poudel said.
He added, "If such careless erecting of poles occured in other countries, the persons or organizations concerned would have faced the death penalty. It´s that serious."
The team concluded that the authorities should be ready to face legal action if they fail to implement the instructions.
"The instructions are purely for the safety and security of the people," Poudel stated, adding, "No government agency should do anything that puts lives at risk."
"We had to issue the instructions as it has already been shown that most accidents in the Valley happen due to the poles. It shows that those agencies are being irresponsible."
The team has instructed the three corporations to implement the instructions in collaboration with KMC.
Poudel also informed that when the team asked NEA officials to start removing the poles, they said the entire task will be too expensive and time-consuming; thereby implying that it is impossible to heed the instructions.
"We have warned the NEA officials to be ready to face legal action if they fail to abide by the instructions," Poudel said.
The team has also asked the central regional chief of the roads office to work with the corporations to remove the poles. The team has instructed the authorities concerned to engage the same contractor for the entire task.
Related story
Road to Karnali Province Assembly building blacktopped with ele...
