Blacktopping begins at Tripureshwar -Kalimati road section

Published On: January 16, 2018 03:00 AM NPT By: Sanghamitra Subba

KATHMANDU, Jan 16: Almost three years after the Tripureshwar -Nagdhunga road expansion project began, the Tripureshwar -Kalimati road section is finally being black-topped. However, the concerned authorities are still clueless about when the project will be completed.

According to Kathmandu Valley Road Improvement Project (KVRIP), it has finally got the 'Right-of-Way' to blacktop the road up till Teku. However, there are still some legal hurdles, according to the project chief Deepak KC.

“Only some areas along this road can be black-topped at the moment. We have legal hindrances,” said KC.

KC stated that some structures along the 1.5-kilometer road section from Tripureshwar to Kalimati bridge are yet to be removed. Similarly, water leakage at some areas is another hurdle.

“We can work smoothly only after all the legal matters pertaining to the structures are settled. At the same time, water leakage has to be addressed,” he said.

The locals have filed a case against Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA) seeking compensation for their land and buildings demolished in course of the road widening project.

“Since the Supreme Court is yet to give its final verdict on the case, the road widening and black-topping process cannot be completed soon,” KC lamented.

Meanwhile, Regional Director Shiva Hari Sapkota of the Central Regional Roads Directorate said that the removal of electric cables and old trolley-bus lines as well as lying of pipes of Melamchi Drinking Water Project are going on smoothly. “Hopefully, the entire project will complete soon,” he said.

KC, meanwhile, stressed on the need to address the legal issues first. Or else, it might take longer to fully widen and blacktop the road section, he warned.
“The real hindrance is the row with the locals, and then the leaking water pipes. Unless that is solved, we cannot say how long it will take for us to complete the project,” he said.

Besides the two major problems, Machalli Mandir stands as another hindrance to the project. Locals seem hell-bent on protecting the temple regardless of the road expansion.

Hareram Tiwari, the lawyer handling the cases for the KVDA, has nothing hopeful to share either. He stated that the Supreme Court is not likely to give the Right-to-Way from Kalimati to Soaltee Mode anytime soon. “It may take time,” he said.