Upgrade Highways Immediately

Growing up, I vividly remember being taught that transportation is one of the pillars of a country’s economy. Still today, we are well aware that good transportation is one of the major determinants of a country's development. And it is sad to say that, while every curriculum states the importance of good transportation facilities, our nation still lags in this area. While having difficult and poor transportation facilities in rural areas, even the road conditions in urban places are in critical condition. 

The Department of Roads administers National Highways under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (Nepal). According to the Statistics of National Highway SNH-2020/21, there are 80 National Highways in Nepal, which are 11178.92 KM `in total length. While these highways are major sources of connecting routes and movement of goods or people, the conditions in these areas are not as good as expected. 

Highlighting this issue, many travellers suffering throughout many years would be the Butwal-Narangadh highway project, which is a part of an east-west highway. Mahendra Highway is the longest and the only highway in Nepal connecting Mechi on the east to Mahakali on the west. Every day thousands of people travel through this highway. Butwal-Narayangadh being a small part of this major highway brings a lot of difficulty for people to travel back and forth in this area. Having my hometown in that area, I have seen the road condition being worse and mostly no improvements over the years. 

The Narayanghat-Butwal is being constructed under the SASEC Roads Improvement Project. It passes through Chitwan, Nawalparasi, and Rupandehi districts. The road starts at Pulchowk of Narayanghat (Chitwan district) and ends at Chauraha of Butwal (Rupandehi district). The total length of the road is 115 km. The project includes major activities, which include drainage improvement, minor realignment, pavement improvement, and widening of the existing road into 4 lanes with an intermediate service lane on both sides. A 33-kilometre stretch of the Narayangadh-Butwal section along the East-West Highway has been blacktopped. Initially slated for completion within the deadline of 42 months, the project reports a 50 per cent accomplishment in over five years and three months.

The amount of dust and pollution produced in this area has to be taken seriously. The lives of locals have been miserable by this situation, as they are consuming so much dust and pollution due to the incomplete construction. This in turn has cost their health as well as their lifestyle. The health of locals is being compromised. A 33-kilometre road takes up an entire day to travel, which has made travelling a chore on its own and also equally affected the business in that area. The worst thing I had to witness through my eyes was some job holders wearing raincoats and masks above their office uniforms and going to their jobs, which fell on the way. They had to go through good two-hour torture when all they had done was pay their taxes on time. When you travel this highway in a two-wheeler vehicle, you're nearly impossible to recognise. And here I felt we failed as a country. 

Every year in Dashain, we are compelled to find alternative roadways to reach our destination. Navigating our ways to reach our own hometown makes us feel demotivated to be there at all. People always have to double-think their plans because of the trouble they will be facing along the way. One time, me and my friends planned to travel around my hometown. And due to the road condition, we reached there at midnight, even though we moved pretty early. And all my friends remember that trip to be the most exhausting and troublesome. And it really was even for me. We had to stay there in traffic jam with limited food. And there were just born kids crying continuously because they were suffocated, but there was nothing one could do to help. That situation completely shattered my heart, and yet again, there was nothing we could do. We all were equally helpless. 

Despite all these issues, it is even a challenge for drivers as the road is filled with dust, similar to heavy fog covering the whole atmosphere, blocking their vision, which results in road accidents. This also brings about risks among the travellers. This disturbance on the highway has affected a larger group of people and not only the locals. People travelling a 15-hour long bus route now have to travel for around 20 hours, which can be exhausting. It is also a factor that can create a bad impression of a beautiful nation among tourists. 

With the ongoing monsoon season, the road condition has worsened. The road is muddy and not travel-friendly at all. The problems of traffic jams and long hours of road blockage made travelling a struggle. Especially people who need to frequently go up and down this highway are struggling throughout. Diving into a deeper perspective, the unhygienic road conditions can also invite serious diseases like dengue, cholera, into the nearby localities, which may cause another issue. 

It has been so many years since the Butwal-Narangadh highway has been demolished and the lives nearby have turned upside down. Small businesses on the way have been shut down, and now this whole process has affected a large number of people. 

Still, very minimal progress has been witnessed over all these years. Only around about 50 per cent of work is about done in around five years of time span. It is crucial for the relevant authorities to take immediate action to improve road conditions, ensuring both local residents and tourists can travel with ease. 

(Koirala is studying Bachelor's in Business Administration.)