Capital’s First Disabled-Friendly Road in Offing

KATHMANDU, June 25: A 100-meter stretch of disabled-friendly road is all set for construction from the main gate of the Khagendra New Life Centre, an organization for the disabled, to the intersection at Narayantar, Jorpati.

A disabled-friendly road is something that all disabled people have been waiting for for years in the hope that it would set a precedent for the construction of more such roads. Khagendra Disabled-Friendly Road will be the country´s first disabled-friendly road where people with various kinds of disabilities can walk without any help from others.

Wheelchair users can move on the road without having to worry about other vehicles.
According to the Khagendra Disabled-Friendly Road Campaign Implementation Committee (KDFRCIC), the road is being designed to international standards.
For example, traffic lights will be accompanied by the sounds of bells to allow the blind people to recognize different traffic signals.
Similarly, special kinds of marble will be used on the footpath to make the movement of wheelchairs easier, and the blind will be able to tell where they are walking because of the kind of sound produced when walking on it.

Railings will be installed on either side of the pavement. Rest areas will also be arranged with trees and flowers.

“The road is designed in such a way that the disabled will not need help from others nor fear any road accidents,” said Rishi Ram Dhakal, coordinator of KDFRCIC. “The road will be quite different from ordinary roads as it will be wider and more comfortable not only the disabled but all other pedestrians also.”
The committee has estimated a total budget outlay of Rs 3 million for the road, and 60 percent of the budget will be provided by the government, with the rest to be collected through different fund raising programs.

As of now the committee has collected Rs 600 thousand in a fund-raising campaign. Many well-known individuals have helped in the campaign, including Haribansa Acharya and Madan Krishna Shrestha.
“The presence of such personalities in our fund raising campaign really helped,” said Dhakal. “They have assured us of help in future as well.”
According to the Department of Roads (DoR), a 175 meter-wide road is needed in order to make it disabled-friendly. Four meters on both sides will be for footpaths. This is hardly possible in all roads of Kathmandu Valley.
“We do not have such wide roads at all places of the capital,” said Shyam Kharel, chief of Kathmandu Valley Road Expansion Project. “But on spacious roads, we have started to construct two-meter footpaths.”

According to him, such footpaths will be constructed from Gaushala to Sankhamul, Lainchour to Maharajgunj and Tinkune to Maitighar. They are also preparing other roads in the capital for such footpaths.
However,although the roads department has decided to put in such footpaths at every wide road, the disabled have doubts about implementation.
“Many programs of the government are still confined to the files,” said Rabin Thapaliya of the National Disabled Journalists Organization. “This disabled-friendly road has become possible only because of the initiative of different disabled organizations and various well-known personalities.”

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Women Conductors at Sajha Breaking Gender Stereotypes

KATHMANDU, May 16: In a city where people are consciously riling against violence against women through graffiti, flash mobs, street protests, Facebook campaigns and tweets, issues of security still weighs heavily on the minds of women in more ways than one.

Newly operated Sajha Yatayat has opened new doors by providing employment to female conductors. Prior to starting its service, Sajha called for applicants in newspapers, asking specifically for female drivers and conductors to apply. According to the Executive Officer of the organization, Padam Lall Maharjan, there was no response the first time, so they had to advertise again.

Although no female drivers with the required credentials: SLC degree and C (tempo, auto rickshaw) or G (truck, bus, and lorry) category of driving license, were at hand, six women did join the Sajha team as ´Mahila Parichalika´.

Currently, five female conductors work 48 hours a week, with some of them taking up extra shifts to work overtime.

On a workday, Renuka, Srijana Nepal Parajuli and Namita Thapa, who had just finished their 7-hour shift and were submitting the proceeds of the ticket sales at Sajha´s central office in Pulchowk, were discussing with their male counterparts if ´khalasi´ was a derogatory term. One of them said, “Addressing us as khalasi doesn´t wreck our reputation.”

Each one of them has to fill the logbook with details such as number and types of tickets sold. After the paperwork, they hand the cash over to those who handle the desk.

The procedure is a long one and though it looks hectic for an outsider, it does ensure efficiency and accountability.

After submitting the sheet, Renuka heads off to the duty section, where a wall was partly covered with printed A4s of bus routes and shift schedules.

Srijana Nepal Parajuli, 27, used to be a Nepali teacher in Sindhupalchowk, teaching up to class eight. Four years ago, she came to Kathmandu with her husband and two children and started working as an office help at Araniko Press.

“After we saw the vacancy in Sajha in a newspaper, I and my husband felt we should try for the job,” says Parajuli, whose husband now works as a driver for Sajha Yatayat.

Namita Thapa, 22, who was supposed to appear in the Plus 2 exam this year, had to sideline her education to help her family through financial problems. She had been looking for a job for a while when her friends suggested that they all apply for the vacancy positions at Sajha.

“Although I had never thought I´d one day be working as a conductor, I grew up hearing about Sajha buses and jumped at the opportunity,” says Thapa who applied for the position with a friend and both of them are now working day shifts.

Similarly, Krishnamaya Poudel´s brother advised her to come to Kathmandu for the job. Poudel, 30, who had been working as a community worker for the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage in her hometown Bardibas, Mahottari came to Kathmandu to take up this job. Her husband, too, works as a conductor at Sajha.

Staying out late is “dangerous” for women folks, let alone working late hours. Considering the risk, no female conductors are currently working night shifts.

Although there are close circuit CCTV cameras installed in all the buses, it is no guarantee that women conductors would not have to deal drunk or delinquent people.
Sajha EO Maharjan cites this risk as a hindrance to their attempt to empower women.

“If we have enough female staff in the future, we will definitely encourage them to take up night shifts. For now, we are not entirely sure it would be safe to do that,” he said.

As regular passengers of public transport, we dread the idea of missing the last micro home. Cases of pick pocketing and sexual harassment inside jam packed vehicles are stories often heard.

In retrospect, Sajha buses are much safer compared to other public transports in Kathmandu. With only 15 people standing on a 55-seater bus, much safety can be guaranteed for passengers and female conductors. Namita says she wouldn´t have taken up a conductor´s job in any other public bus. She adds, “Sajha bus is a legacy and I think people appreciate the service. It is also safer for us women to work because not more than 15 people can stand and there´s a lot of space. I think people respect Sajha and wouldn´t ever think of vandalizing the seats or spitting, like it happens in other vehicles.”

Similarly, Krishnamaya says she hasn´t had any bad experiences with any passengers till now and hopes she doesn´t have to go through difficult incidents in future as well. “Being a woman, I cannot imagine working as a conductor in other public transports, except Sajha. With the way so many people crammed in, there´s hardly any space for the conductor to stand,” she said.

An interesting incident occurred in one of the Sajha buses a few weeks back. A woman passenger left her bag with a huge amount of cash in it. The female conductor kept the bag and returned it to the woman it belonged after CCTV footage confirmed the woman´s claim.

The ´safe´ job is also a job that pays these women well. Although none of them had completed a month of work, the women hesitated in stating the exact amount but seemed content with the amount they would get paid. “The salary is something like Rs 6,200, plus we also get a daily allowance of Rs 150,” shared Srijana Nepal Parajuli.

EO Maharjan said the organization has set the salary keeping the labor laws in mind. “We´re a semi-government organization and we have made sure our employees get the privileges they deserve,” he added.

Sajha and its women conductors have dared to debunk the gender stereotypes and store labor dignity. Hope both can stand the test of time and the city´s rugged ways.

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Obstacle Course

Kathmandu valley roads
In Kathmandu valley at least, it has become more a norm to break traffic rules than to observe them. It isn’t hard to see why: most people can get away with it. Easily. The pedestrians have it the easiest. Unlike the motorists, they are not expected to follow even minimal rules. They can walk through red light and the traffic police at the intersection won’t even raise his eyebrow. There is no monitoring to ensure that pedestrians are using overhead bridges. Most people find it convenient to run across the short stretch under the bridge than overburden their legs going up and down. In fact, people can be seen crossing the road at the most unimaginable places, even when there are clear barriers to prevent them from doing so. It is clear that they don’t give two hoots about traffic laws. Inexplicably, some initial endeavors to punish jaywalkers petered out soon after they started a few months ago.

Then there are the street vendors clogging the major sidewalks, their undesired presence compounding the already pathetic state of the walkways: riddled with potholes, many of them act as virtual booby traps at night. Vehicle operators are only a little better. Virtually every place on the road is a potential stop for public vehicles. During peak hours, it is common sight to witness motorbike riders invade the sidewalk. The private four-wheelers on Kathmandu’s roads, whose numbers are going up exponentially despite the high import tariffs, make the traffic situation worse. The roads are being widened, but traffic jams and noise and air pollution only seem to be increasing. The huge mounds of debris by the roadside are traffic stoppers, and big eyesores.

The just concluded World Road Safety Week (May 6-12) was a time for reflection on Nepal’s lowly 127th position on global road safety rankings. Every day five people lose their lives on Nepali roads. According to Nepal Police, as many as 1,780 people died in road accidents in the last fiscal year. Most of the fatalities and indeed most road accidents are the result of reckless driving. The deterrents against unsafe driving have proven inadequate for a long time. The poor condition of the roads is another factor behind steadily increasing road accidents around the country. Back in the valley, it has become very important to install some civic sense among common people. Unless they clearly understand that they will have to pay for their transgressions on the road, they are unlikely to mend their errant ways. Just widening existing roads is unlikely to have the desired effect so long as the attitude of the people using them does not also change. But in order to make people comply with road rules, the least the traffic authorities could do is ensure that the basic infrastructure is in place—and working. Most traffic lights in the Valley are out of order. Promotion of mass public transport like Sajha Yatayat could be one of the ways to go about it. If safe, comfortable and affordable public transportation is available, people will take to them over time. Unimaginative methods like building more roads for more vehicles have, hopefully, run their course.

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Outer Ring Road a Hard Sell Among Valley Public

KATHMANDU, May 14:

The news about outer ring road (ORR) construction had brought cheers to the valley public. The excitement, however, petered out soon with the project failing to take off.

Now the government has announced to continue the project again, but people here are not very hopeful that the plan would materialize.

“When the government started it in the beginning we were so hopeful. The way the news was carried by the media made us feel that our government was capable of handling such tasks,” said Prabin Maharjan, who owns an automobile workshop in Kirtipur.

“There were few locals who were opposed to the project as they had failed to understand the advantage of big roads. However, it is the government´s duty to take the people into confidence,” added the local of Machhegaun.

The government had proposed 72 km long outer ring road project for the valley in 2006. During the visit of the then crown prince Paras Shah in 2005 to China, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Nepal and Chinese government regarding the construction of ORR.

According to former secretary at the Ministry of Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management Tulsi Prasad Sitaula, the first phase of the work had already been completed before it came to a halt due to protest by the locals.

The proposed 50 meter wide road with 250 meter of land on either side was being built under land pooling model.

“It needed consent of 51 percent of locals, but only around 15 percent supported the plan. So things could not progress,” he said. ´

The department of urban development and building construction (DUDBC) was appointed as implementing agency of the project. The project was begun with a budget of Rs 3 million in the year 2061 BS.

The ambitious project was hindered not only due to lack of public support but also because of the absence of a master plan of the Kathmandu Valley. The lack of planning standards and urban design guidelines and failure to regulate haphazard urban growth were other serious hindrances, analysts have pointed out several times.

However, the concerned officials now state not to be hopeless about the project anymore. According to Kishore Thapa, secretary at the ministry of physical planning and urban development, the government has expedited talks with the local leaders to gain their favor and the work on detailed project report (DPR) is going on.

However, Maharjan is not ready to believe that the effort would yield any result. “We have heard much talk about metro railway, outer ring road, Melamchi drinking water project and so on. Have any of these been successful? I do not think that government can complete such huge projects.”

Due to negativism all around, we don´t believe anything

Road construction is important for development. Why didn´t the locals support it?
May be we failed to make the people understand the need of the ORR and how the locals would benefit from it. This time we are holding talks with local leaders. They can take the local people into confidence. We hope this time we will be able to gather enough support for the project. As we are going to adapt land pooling system, no people would be displaced due to the project. If at all anyone loses his or her all land, we are going to compensate them with another plot of land.

Will the project really materialize now?
Due to the negativism all around, we do not tend to believe anything. But if you are to believe me, we are going to show results soon. If anything can hinder the project now it is the political influence. But let´s hope for the best.

What other developments are there?
We have reached an agreement to carry out field surveys, land acquisition and consultation services. After this, it will be easier to develop the project. Similarly, we can report that a final report on environment social impact assessment has been forwarded to the environment ministry. Soon we are going to hand over the project to the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority which will carry out the work.

Which section of the road would be constructed at the beginning?
In the beginning, Satungal to Chovar section will be built. Others will follow in a phase wise manner. I hope things will go on very smoothly from the coming fiscal year.

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Volunteers Chipping in to Ease Traffic Woes

KATHMANDU, May 12:People wearing reflective jackets with whistles in their hands are often seen easing traffic jams. Some of them are not traffic policemen. They are civilians helping make the streets safer for motorists and pedestrians.

When rallies or protest programs throw vehicular traffic haywire, these people help the traffic policemen ease the jams. They are known as traffic volunteers, who selflessly engage in these works.

In the Kathmandu valley, there are currently 25 traffic volunteers deployed by the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD). These traffic volunteers have identity cards issued by MTPD.

There are other volunteers as well. But, they have yet to receive identity cards from the MTPD. A person needs to serve for more than two years regularly to get identity cards from MTPD.

In the capital city, these volunteers have really helped reduce the burden of MTPD staff. “These volunteers are really helpful for us,” says Pawan Giri, Spokesperson for the MTPD. “We need more such traffic volunteers.”

According to Giri, some of the volunteers do not work regularly. “If they work regularly, we would be greatly relieved,” adds Giri.

Ananda Joshy is one such volunteer. He is turning sixty soon. Despite having to spend much of his time in business, he takes out some time to volunteer on the streets. In the initial days his family was not happy about him volunteering to ease traffic jams but still persisted.

Joshy is often seen at Thapathali. Whenever he gets time off his business, he just joins traffic policewomen at Thapathali to help the motorists pass through one of the busiest intersections of the capital.

“In Thapathali, there are only policewomen,” says he. “People usually obey them.”

Joshy is also President of the Kathmandu Valley Integrated Traffic Volunteer Management, an informal organization of traffic volunteers. He believes a strong system is required to deter the motorists from violating traffic rules. “Those who violate traffic rules should be punished,” adds Joshy.

Like Joshy, Shirjan Regmi is another traffic volunteer. Every morning when he steps out of his Kalopul house and heads for Kalimati office on a bicycle he helps the traffic police clear traffic jams on roads. “At times, as I have to spend time in easing the traffic jams, I am often late for work,” says he.

According to him, road is one of the most important infrastructure that helps development of a country. This always inspired me to volunteer my service for the country. “When I understood the importance of roads for the development of a country I decided to be a traffic volunteer,” says Regmi.

He thinks people are yet to learn a simple fact: roads are for vehicles and footpaths for pedestrians. “In our city, even motorcycles run on footpaths and pedestrians walk the streets,” says he. “It also leads to traffic jams.”

“The government should manage street vendors by providing them with specific places to run their businesses,” says Regmi. He believes street vendors are creating problems in traffic management as they occupy footpaths, which are for pedestrians.

Regmi, 33, is a senior assistant at Salt Trading Corporation Limited (STC). He says it is not easy to convince the common people to follow traffic rules and signals. “They do not even listen to the traffic police,” says he. “How can we expect them to obey us? We are just civilians.”

“People often go mad at us when we ask them to follow traffic rules,” says he. “But, I would try to politely request them. I do not get angry myself. I do not get deterred by their anger, either.”

It has been two years since Sthaneswar Dhungana, who lives in a rented room in Baneshwar, started volunteering in Koteshwor. A government employee at the Bagmati zonal office of the Department of Transport Management (DoTM), Lalitpur, he usually spends his evening easing traffic jam in Baneshwar.

“Rise in the number of small vehicles like cars and motorbikes is worsening traffic problems in the capital,” shares Dhungana.

Dhungana was also awarded with National Environmental Conservation Prize by the Ministry of Environment (MoE) for his contribution to environment conservation two years ago.

Women volunteers say managing traffic a tough task

Managing traffic in the streets of Kathmandu is a tough task. Many people do not follow traffic rules and regulations. Even the traffic police alone can compel people to follow traffic rules and signals. Here comes the role of traffic volunteers. They are working selflessly to help the traffic police ease traffic jams.

And, among them, there are some female traffic volunteers, too.

Sushma Gurung is one such female traffic volunteer. She started to work as a volunteer some five years ago. Earlier, she found it tough to deal with motorists and pedestrians. “Now, I know how to deal with them,” says she. She is usually seen helping ease traffic jams in Baneshwar.

She believes a person should be bold and strong enough to handle wayward motorists and pedestrians on the roads. “Many of my friends gave up volunteering as it is a very difficult task,” says she. “But, I am not like them.”

“Some people understand us,” says she. “For some, we have to be very tough.”

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Sajha Bus Service in the Groove

KATHMANDU, MAY 15 –

After landing into sporadic troubles numerous times before and after beginning the service, Sajha Yatayat has successfully weathered the initial hiccups operating for one month.
The bus operators said the service has made profit together with the support it has gained from the passengers and other authorities concerned.
According to Sajha Yatayat Cooperatives, 268,982 passengers travelled in the Sajha bus in the first month averaging 8,966 commuters each day.
Of the ticket sales, the total revenue collected by Sajha in a month was Rs 3,826,156, out of which Rs 3,169,447 was spent on salaries of staffs, fuel and regular maintenance. The net profit earned by the service in the first month stood at Rs 656,708.
Manager at Sajha Cooperatives, Mahendra Pandey, said Sajha buses are in high demand among passengers. “We have fewer buses in service and the demand is very high,” said Pandey.
“We plan to add more buses and routes in the future.” Out of the existing two routes, Lagenkhel-Buspark seems more popular among the passengers, carrying 170,959 people, while the Kalanki-Airport route ferried 97,823 passengers.
“The airport pick-up has also been popular among the arriving and departing passengers at the international airport,” said Pandey.
This month Sajha also constructed 63 poles to signify bus stops around the two routes in cooperation with the traffic police. It has also urged the regular and prospective passengers to buy the tickets and follow the rules while using the service. “We request everyone to travel with tickets and enjoy our service for months to come,” said Pandey.
The buses currently ply on two routes—Satdobato-Lagankhel-Jawlakhel-Tripureshwore-Ratnapark-Maharajgunj-Basundhara-New Buspark route and Kalanki-Kalimati-New Baneshwore-Tinkune-Airport. Both the routes have two-way services from 5am to 11pm.
Sajha charges a minimum fare of Rs 15 and can go up to Rs 20, according to the distance travelled, while the discounted minimum fare for students is Rs 10. Passengers are also enabled to transfer tickets or change routes with the tickets purchased. It operates 16 buses, which are compliant with the Euro-III emission standards, while each bus boasts 55 seats and an 15 additional strap-hangers for standing passengers. The buses also have automated doors and two CCTV cameras and display screens for advertisements, public notices and entertainment. Sajha had halted its bus services in 2002 and politicisation and overstaffing were blamed for the failure.
Its now under a new management and was established as a cooperative in 2011 with an executive board elected from general members.

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1,239 Trees to be Felled for 9 km Ring Road Expansion

KATHMANDU, May 23:

More than 1000 trees along the Kalanki-Koteshwar section of the ring road are set to be chopped down in a few days to expand the existing four lane roads to eight lanes. The government of China has pledged to provide Rs 3.7 billion for the widening of the 9km stretch that is set to begin in June.

The District Forestry Office (DFO), Lalitpur and Kathmandu have permitted the Department of Road (DoR), Lalitpur to cut down as many as 1,239 trees that were planted in the 70s.

Hundreds of mimosa trees have been beatifying the ring road area for around half a century now. But by the time the Kathmanduites start missing their beauty next year, around 500 mimosa trees are likely to be set in people´s home in the form of furniture or doors and windows as the DFO will begin cutting down the trees from Sunday.

According to Assistant Forest Officer Lon Nath Timilsina of the DFO, Lalitpur the permission letter to the DoR, Lalitpur would be sent on Friday.
“We have estimated that total 23000 cubic feet of air space would be vacant after the trees are cut down,” said Timilsina. Of the total, 8000 cubic feet space has been covered by the mimosa, when measured by the cord unit, he added.

The government had planted the trees, as per the green belt program after the construction of the 27 km ring road, says Shyam Kharel, chief of Kathmandu Valley Road Improvement Project (KVRIP).

There are some other trees such as the Australian species silky oak, fir, gum tree, maple and some local varieties such as birch.
Both the forest offices of Kathmandu and Lalitpur would provide technical assistance to the DoR to cut down the trees and manage them. But the auctioning of the trees would be undertaken by the DoR.

According to Timilsina, most of the trees of Australian variety are not of much use except for fuel and timber. “But the mimosa trees that are full grown can be auctioned for making furniture and wooden crafts,” he added.

Meanwhile, the conservation activists have warned of a stir if the government does not find an alternative to knocking down the trees.

Urban birds´ habitat in danger
With the authorities preparing to demolish the trees along the ring road, urban birds are set to lose their habitats. According to Hem Sagar Baral, director of the Bird Conservation Nepal, as many as 110 species of birds are found in Kathmandu. Among them, 100 species of birds have been nesting in the Valley.

The tall trees around the 27 km area of the ring road is home to cuckoo, house crow, jungle crow, black kite, owl, small cranes and creepers. Similarly, bats are also among the major species in those trees.

Baral said that the government must ensure that the trees would be replaced in the area once the construction works are over. He also stressed that local tree species should be planted in the area to protect our native vegetations.

“Instead of newly introduced species from foreign countries, the government must plant local trees such as Lapsi, Chilaune, Kattus that would conserve our bio-diversity,” said Baral.

The government could also plant the flowery trees at the busy road sides of the capital, which can also be used as a medium of tourism. “The authorities need to realize that the greenery around the city reflect the way of life of Nepalis and speak of their positive attitude.”

Campaigners set to protest against tree felling
Pramada Sah
Campaigner, Trees Liberation Army (TLA)

What was the response of the government authorities when you urged them not to cut the trees?
We went to the DoR and the Kathmandu Valley Town Development Authority, but the officials there told us that they were not the bodies who took decisions regarding the recent move.
However, the officials have already marked hundreds of trees that are to be cut down. No sooner did the people hear that the tress would be cut down, they have started cutting down the trees for timber. We are disturbed to be the witness of the destruction of trees which have served us for decades. They are the homes of countless birds and insects, and provide shade to our animals. The trees marked for cutting include ´holy´ trees such as peepal and bar, as well the beautiful jacaranda trees which have become part of our heritage.

But the authorities have said that they wouldn´t stop?
Our voices were unheard even at the time when the KVTDA rampantly demolished the trees in the crowded areas where greenery is much required. But this time, we have organized a mass protest on Saturday, a day before the cutting starts. We will chain ourselves to the trees if needed. We urge everyone to come together and protest against this disaster. If the authorities want, it is not a big deal to save the trees even while expanding the road. The locals had provided their land at that time when the government wanted to develop the ring road green belt decades ago.

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Night Bus Service to Close in Inner Routes

After urging the government several times to help settle the fare issue and improvise the routes, the night bus service operators are planning to close their inner city commuter services and run only on the Chakrapath circle. Operators, citing huge losses, have confirmed to halt the services by this week on the Satdobato-Lagankhel-Ratnapark, Koteshwor-Sinamangal and Bansbari-Ratnapark routes.

According to Dharma Raj Rimal, the Bagmati zonal coordinator of the National Federation of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs (NFNTE), the government failed to meet their demands while the Kathmandu Metropolitan City undermined the problems. “We will close the routes in two days. Our demands were never taken seriously and we cannot afford more losses,” said Rimal. Two weeks ago, the transport entrepreneurs warned the government of shutting the service, unless their demands were met.

Transport Management officials say no requests of fare hike in the bus service have been received. “We would surely like to support the night bus service. But we haven’t received any formal request for fare increment or the routes,” said Sharad Adhikari, Tech director at the Department of Transport Management. He added, however, that there is no valid logic for fare increment as other recently introduced services were not demanding a hike and are operating till 11pm.

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) granted the NFNTE Rs 4.5 million at the launch of the service in August last year. Earlier, the government had made commitments to increasing the fares by 40 to 50 percent after three months of operation which have not materialised, even after repeated requests from the operators. “Authorities always claim of the subsidy granted, which is a small amount to run the service. Our investment is a lot more as a single bus is priced at Rs 3.5 million. And we are running 14 of them,” said Rimal. Operators claim that a round trip costs Rs 1,500, including the fuel price and allowance for drivers and conductors, while the are making only Rs 700 per trip. The monthly operating cost of a bus comes close to Rs 51,000 but it has only been making Rs 15,000 to Rs 22,000.

However KMC, one of the pioneers of the service, has been saying it is not in a position to grant any more subsidies. “It’s a historic service and we will do as much as possible to keep it running. But we cannot inject more funds,” said Sadhu Ram Bhattarai, the KMC spokesperson. KMC claims that it has regularly been urging the government to segregate the night bus service from others.

The operators say they will continue to run the buses on the Ring Road even by incurring losses. “We don’t want the service to die, since we initiated it with hard work. We will continue to the serve on the Chakrapath route with six buses at the moment.” said Rimal, warning that the services would also close down by the end of this fiscal year if nothing was done about their demands.

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Ring Road Expansion to Begin on June 1

The much talked about plan to widen the Ring Road in Kathmandu is scheduled to start on June 1. According to officials of the Department of Roads, the Chinese contractor has been making the final preparations to begin work by setting up its office and summoning technicians from China.

Last month, the contractor Shanghai Construction Group Company started survey work to widen the 2-km-long Koteshwor-Kalanki section as a model. Under the government’s Ring Road Improvement Project, 9 km of the road between Koteshwor and Kalanki will be upgraded in the first phase.

“The contractor has informed us that it plans to start work on June 1,” said Ashok Tiwari, chief of the Ring Road Improvement Project. He added that road widening, bridge improvement and building of an underpass at Kalanki would be done in tandem in the first phase.

Initially, two 1-km sections on the Balkhu River-Kalanki and Ekantakuna-Koteshwor sectors will be expanded. Based on these models, the remaining 7-km section will be widened; and two other junctions, Kalanki and Satdobato, will also be improved for uninterrupted operation of vehicles.

The first phase of the improvement plan includes upgrading of the Koteshwor-Kalanki section to eight lanes with a four-lane main road, a two-way service lane, two-way bicycle track and two-way pedestrian path. The first phase of the widening work will take around 40 months. The government has been planning to upgrade the entire Ring Road with the support of China in three phases under the Ring Road Improvement Project.

The Roads Department and the Chinese contractor had signed a pact to upgrade the 9-km Koteshwor-Kalanki stretch last December. Under the agreement, the government is responsible for clearing the space by removing water, electricity and telephone lines, but little progress has been made on this score, said department officials. Many trees remain to be chopped down too.

Last month, the government had directed Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited, Nepal Electricity Authority and Nepal Telecom to relocate their service lines built on either side of the road. The offices of the district commissioners of Kathmandu and Lalitpur under the Kathmandu Valley Development Committee had issued a 15-day notice to clear a 31-m width on the Koteshwor-Balkhu-Kalanki stretch. Department officials said they would write to the concerned offices to remove the power and telephone poles.

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हप्तामा एक दिन साइकल सरर

साइकल यात्रालाई प्रोत्साहन दिने नीति ल्याउँदै प्रत्येक शनिबार ‘काररहीत दिन’ का रुपमा मनाउनुपर्नेमा आइतबार राजधानीमा आयोजित कार्यक्रमका वक्ताहरुले जोड दिए।

विश्व वातावरण दिवसको पूर्वसन्ध्यामा विज्ञान, प्रविधि तथा वातावरण मन्त्रालयले आयोजना गरेकोे कार्यशालामा सरोकारवालाले विश्वका धेरै स्थानमा हप्तामा एक दिन बिदाको दिन कार नचलाएर साइकल चलाउने प्रचलन रहेको उदाहरण दिँदै नेपालमा पनि त्यसलाई कार्यान्वयन गर्नुपर्ने बताए।

पेट्रोलियम पदार्थको आपूर्तिमा नेपालले बर्सेनि अरबौँ रुपैयाँ विदेश पठाउने गरेको तथ्याङ्क प्रस्तुत गर्दै सहभागीहरुले साइकल यात्रालाई प्रोत्साहन दिन रकमको बचतका साथै वातावरणमा स्वच्छता आउन सक्ने धारणा राखे।

सडक विस्तार गर्दा साइकलका लागि छुट्टै बाटोको व्यवस्था गरिनुपर्ने माग गर्दै त्यसो गर्न सकिए साइकलयात्रीको सङ्ख्या स्वतः वृद्धि हुने उनीहरुको भनाइ थियो।

साइकलको प्रयोग व्यक्तिको स्वास्थ्यका लागि लाभदायक हुनुका साथै वातावरणको लागि पनि लाभदायक भएकाले यसलाई प्रोत्साहन गर्न सरकारले नीति नै बनाउनुपर्ने उनीहरुको माग थियो।

विश्वका धेरै देशमा साइकल यात्राका लागि सडकमा छुट्टै बाटोको व्यवस्था गरिए पनि नेपालमा भने त्यो भर्खरै सुरुआतको चरणमा छ।

काठमाडौँमा कोटेश्वरदेखि कलङ्कीसम्म १० किमी, माइतीघरदेखि तीनकुनेसम्म ३ किमी, कालीमाटीदेखि बल्खु १ किमी, प्रहरी प्रधान कार्यालय नक्सालदेखि बालुवाटारसम्म ३ किमी, बालाजुदेखि बाइपास १ किमी र माइतीघरदेखि भद्रकालीसम्मको ६०० मिटर गरी करिब १८ किलोमिटर सडक साइकल बाटोका रुपमा सडक विस्तार गरिँदैछ।

तिलगङ्गादेखि एअरपोर्ट सिनामङ्गलसम्मको डेढ किलोमिटर साइकल बाटो भने निर्माण भइसकेको छ।

कार्यक्रममा मुख्यसचिव लीलामणि पौड्यालले हप्तामा एक दिन भए पनि समाजका लब्धप्रतिष्ठित व्यक्ति र कलाकारले साइकल चढेर यात्रा गरेर समाजमा साइकल निम्न वर्गको व्यक्तिले मात्रै चढ्ने होइन भनेर सन्देश दिन सकिए साइकलयात्रामा सबैको आकर्षण बढ्ने बताए।

उनले उपत्यकाको सडक विस्तारको क्रममा १८ किलोमिटर सडकखण्ड साइकल बाटोका लागि छुट्याइएको जानकारी दिँदै त्यसलाई थप विस्तार गर्न तथा साइकल यात्रालाई प्रोत्साहन दिने नीति बनाउन सरकार अग्रसर हुने घोषणा गरे।

वातावरण मन्त्रालयका सचिव केशवप्रसाद भट्टराईले युवाहरुलाई मोटरसाइकल नभइ साइकल चढ्न प्रोत्साहन गर्ने वातावरण बनाउनु अहिलेको आवश्यकता भइसकेको धारणा राखेका थिए।

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