Expedite road expansion and reconstruction: PMO

KATHMANDU, JUN 28 -

Officials at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Wednesday directed concerned bodies to expedite the ongoing works of expansion and reconstruction of roads inside the Kathmandu Valley. The direction comes four days after protests from local residents in Lazimpat.

“The Prime Minister and officials at the PMO are positive about the road-expansion drive and have directed its continuation,” said

Bhai Kaji Tiwari, town controller at the Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implementation Committee (KVTDIC).

Tiwari said officials at the PMO are seriously concerned about local people protesting demolishment of roads and their stalled expansion. They ordered concerned officials to complete the expansion and reconstruction of the roads at the earliest.

According to KVTDIC officials, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, on Monday, showed concern over the delay in the demolishment and reconstruction drive initiated about eight months ago. PM Bhattarai is said to have directed officials to finish all the necessary work related to the expansion and at the same time, complete reconstruction work including gravelling and blacktopping at the earliest possible date.

Also on Wednesday, local residents met with secretary of the PMO Lila Mani Pokhrel, officials of the KVTDIC and the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division to discuss the government’s road-expansion drive.

The road-expansion drive was initiated inside the Kathmandu Valley to widen narrow roads and make the Valley safe and clean for its residents. The campaign had halted for about three months due to regular protests from locals before it resumed on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, the Lazimpat area was tense after authorities demolished the walls of the Standard Chartered Bank and the Ambassador Hotel. Locals have been protesting the government’s move to bulldoze infrastructure built illegally alongside roads as per the Urban Development Implementation Act 1977.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management is planning to widen the Valley’s Ring Road from next year with support from the People’s Republic of China. The first phase will see the current four-lane road along the Koteshwor-Kalanki stretch upgraded to eight lanes.

According to officials at the Department of Roads, the Ring Road Improvement Project will expand the road to eight lanes, with a four-lane carriageway that will include a two-way relief road, a two-way bicycle track and a two-way pedestrian path, including bus stations and parking lots. The expansion is expected to be completed by 2015.

Source: http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/06/28/top-story/expedite-road-expansion-and-reconstruction-pmo/356265/