Road repair starts after PM’s directive

KATHMANDU, July 20: Repair of roads which had been dug to lay the water supply pipes for the Melamchi Water Supply Project has started following directives from Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to fill up the ditches and potholes on roads in the Kathmandu valley within 15 days.

PM Deuba on July 16 summoned the representatives of the bodies concerned and instructed them to fill up the ditches and potholes on the roads within 15 days, following the death of a girl who died after falling into a waterlogged ditch on the road.

A mechanism has also been set up under the convenorship of Chandra Kumar Ghimire, Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, for coordinating in the road repair works.

The Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited Project Implementation Directorate had laid the pipelines for supplying the water from the Melamchi Project. The Directorate has called a total halt in digging the road at more places for the purpose of laying the pipeline as the monsoon has already started and digging roads during this time would create problem in the movement of people and vehicles.

Directorate spokesperson Lila Prasad Dhakal said that the Directorate is serious over the road accidents occurring due to the bad condition of the roads in the Kathmandu valley as they were dug for laying the water pipelines.
“The Directorate does not have the program of laying water pipes in Samakhusi area and it has focused its attention to efforts at restoring the roads that were dug for the purpose of installing the water pipes, in line with the Prime Minister’s directive,” he said.

The Directorate has so far completed the work of laying water supply pipelines on 51.5 kilometres up to Pani Pokhari for bulk supply of water. It needs to lay down the pipe line on total 60.6 kilometres for this purpose.
Similarly, as against extending the pipelines on 670 kilometres for distribution network improvement, the Directorate has so far laid the pipe line on 610 kilometres.

The work of construction of reservoir has been completed at Mahankalchaur, Panipokhari, Bansbari, Tigni, Balaju and Khumaltar.

Following the Prime Minister’s directive, Project Director at the Directorate, Tiresh Prasad Khatri, inspected the roads at different places in Kathmandu that are in bad condition and in the spot instructed the contractors to promptly carry out the repair works.

The Directorate has stated that the repair of roads which are in worst condition has started at Battisputali, Ratopul, Chabahil, Chuchchepati and Kapan areas. Spokesman Dhakal said the repair works are underway with the target of completing them in 10 days. RSS