Government aims to restore damaged roadways for Dashain: Transport Minister Dahal

Kathmandu, Oct 6: The country experienced devastating flooding and landslides triggered by monsoon rains.

The disasters that occurred on September 27-28 led to a significant loss of life and property including massive damages to roadway infrastructure.     

The government said it is focused on promptly fixing the damaged roadway infrastructure, though temporarily.     

Talking to RSS, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Devendra Dahal, said the government is determined to tackle the post-disaster situation with priority to the rescue which has, as it said, been progressing.     

Still, around 600 vehicles have been stranded along the BP Highway. Drivers and their assistants are guarding their lives there. They need rescue while the government has already carried out rescues of emergency nature.     

Similarly, around 600 containers have been stuck in Tatopani along the Araniko Highway.     

As the Minister said, the government is initiating the restoration of the displaced and providing compensation to the affected families. It is said the restoration of the damaged road infrastructure is estimated to cost Rs 20-25 billion while the temporary road restoration is to cost two-three billion. The government plans to reopen (temporarily) disrupted road sections on the BP Highway soon in view of the Dashain festival.     

The preliminary details of the roadway damages indicate that five major bridges collapsed while the same number of major highways has been disrupted. The government will assess the loss and gear up for the restoration. The reconstruction may take time but the reopening of the blocked roadways is expected to take place promptly.     

The restoration of the BP Highway may take time due to significant damage by the Roshi River, but efforts continue for the temporary patching of the problem. Twelve-kilometer section of the highway towards the east-west alignment along the Roshi River has been washed away by the river.     

Crusher industries should be systematized, road standards maintained     

The Minister took time to stress the need to systematize the establishment and operation of crusher industries to reduce the environmental degradation escalated by the haphazard operation of such institutions.     

He also echoed the need to maintain standards in the road construction projects majorly carried out by the local levels. Implementation of each development project should be environment-friendly, he stressed.     

In his reply to a query about the relevancy of tunnel routes in a country like Nepal, he said the country has experienced the first practice of tunneling. It plays a role in significantly shortening the travel distance and the Nagdhunga Tunnel Way has already proved to be convenient during challenges.     

The need for such structures has been realized for promoting environmental balance as well. The Tarai-Madhesh Highway includes various tunnel construction projects. So we have planned to move ahead by prioritizing the tunnel construction.     

Responding to the RSS' query about the need for a railway construction project, he said the relevancy of a railway service in Nepal is still under construction.     

On the East-West route, there are the postal highway, Madan Bhandari Highway, Mid-Hill Highway, and the major East-West Highway. "But in my realization, the proposed East-West highway Railway is necessary not only for convenient travel from Mechi in the East to Mahakali in the West but for enhancing the country's connectivity and trade relations with South Asia.     

Talking about ' achievements' in the transport sector, he said the implementation of smart driving licenses and embossed numbers are significant developments, highlighting the need to delegate the authority to print and distribute the driving license and to allocate embossed numbers to the province.     

Sharing about the government efforts to promote road safety, he said the drafting of the Road Safety Act has neared the final phase. He underlined the need to find the root causes of accidents whether human-caused (negligence of driver) or due to roadways or technical errors of vehicles and address them accordingly.     

He further added the government is committed to clearing the due to construction companies. Talking about some procedural challenges in paying them promptly, he said dues are around three billion and will be cleared in a month.     

The acceleration of current projects is the top priority of the government, with the focus on those projects having a direct connection with the people's lives. The upgrading of the Nagdhunga-Pokhara route, the completion of the Narayangadh-Butwal section, the operation of the postal highway in a full-fledged capacity, the completion of the Madan Bhandari Highway and various roads under the North-South Corridor are the government priorities, according to the Minister.(RSS)