KATHMANDU, July 23: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) and the residents of the New Road area have agreed that no construction work will take place in the New Road area until November 17. This agreement is expected to temporarily resolve the dispute in the New Road area.

According to the agreement, a study committee will be formed to assess the necessary construction work in the New Road area, and decisions will be made based on the report provided by this committee.

Sumanraj Bhandari has been appointed as the coordinator of the committee. Additionally, the chairmen of Wards 22, 23, and 24, along with Suraj Shakya, the chief of the Building Construction Department of the KMC, have been designated as members and the member secretary of the committee, respectively.

The issue of expanding the footpath in New Road had led to confrontations between KMC Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) and central-level leaders.

Since the KMC began expanding the footpath in the New Road area, conflicts have arisen. When the KMC started the project, it came into conflict with the federal government's Department of Roads (DoR). The DoR halted the work, claiming that the KMC's actions were contrary to road regulations, and repaved the road that the KMC had demolished to expand the footpath.

However, Mayor Balen was determined to continue expanding the footpath in the New Road area. In this process, he even approached the court. The KMC approached Patan High Court and filed a writ petition on June 9, with a letter from the Road Division Office.

In the writ petition, the KMC requested the court to address the issue where the defendant, “the Road Division Office, created an obstruction starting from May 25, 2024, preventing the expansion of the footpath as planned under the budget for the fiscal year 2023/24.” The petition highlighted that the Road Division Office had issued correspondence and physically intervened to halt the footpath expansion in the New Road market area, which falls under Wards 22, 23, and 24. The KMC sought remedy and an immediate interim order from the court.

Responding to the writ petition, the Patan High Court issued an interim order directing that the expansion of the footpath in New Road should not be halted. A joint bench of Judges Dhruba Raj Nanda and Prakash Kharel granted the interim order as requested by the KMC.

Following the court's order, the KMC resumed the footpath expansion work on Wednesday. However, locals obstructed the work and protested. On Friday, they even burned an effigy of Mayor Balen. As a result, the situation in the New Road area became tense and unusual.

Ward Chairman Chinikaji Maharjan of Ward No-22 was actively involved in the obstruction work on the street. With both the Mayor and the Ward Chairman facing off, some anticipated that the situation could escalate into violence.

Recently, Mayor Balen has appeared more restrained. He has shifted from immediate confrontation to pursuing a path of consensus. As a result, the situation of conflict has been temporarily resolved.

Nabin Manandhar, spokesperson for the KMC, stated that the construction work has been halted with the aim of conducting further studies to ensure that the structures being built in historic areas are done so with greater consideration.

“New Road is a historic area. New constructions might cause some damage to old structures. Therefore, the work has been temporarily halted to conduct a study and proceed with caution rather than regret later,” he said. “Meanwhile, similar structures are being built in Indrachowk, and they should be completed soon. We plan to observe their impact before proceeding with construction here,” Manandhar added.

Since similar structures are being built in Indrachowk, we will assess the impact on traffic, the condition of the footpaths, and economic activities there before starting new work, he said.

Manandhar also mentioned that due to the ongoing monsoon, it is not suitable to proceed with the footpath expansion work at the moment.

When Republica asked if the Mayor had been flexible regarding the expansion of the footpath, Manandhar said it should not be considered as flexibility but rather as listening to the public's concerns. "An elected representative's role is to address the needs of the people. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the Mayor's decision to proceed with further studies before continuing the work is in response to public input," Manandhar said.

Mayor Balen's Secretariat states that the expansion of the footpath is not solely a decision of the Mayor but of the KMC as a whole. "The matter of expanding the footpath is not just about the Mayor; it is about what the Metropolis decides. We will proceed according to that decision," said a member of the Secretariat.

Ward-22 Chairman Chinikaji Maharjan is rejoicing saying ‘victory for the people’ after the footpath expansion work in New Road was halted. Speaking at a corner meeting in New Road following an agreement with the KMC on Monday, he stated that this event has established the principle that "what the people want will be achieved in a democracy."

 
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