KATHMANDU, JUN 19 -
To combat the bad traffic situation in the Capital, the government has decided to ban the entry of small public vehicles in the core area. Three-wheelers and micro buses will not be allowed on the main roads of the capital.

The decision was taken after Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently made public a report mentioning that small vehicles are the main cause of traffic jams. On the basis of ADB’s report, a Central High Level Monitoring Committee (CHLMC) under the Prime Minister’s office held discussions with officials of the Department of Road (DoR), Department of Transport Management (DoTM), Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD), Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) and other stakeholders.

“The department concerned will soon initiate the implementation of the plan,” said Ali Akhtar Nikrani, Member of the CHLMC. According to him, it was concluded that bigger vehicles will be added as per the need of the people. “Vehicles will be added so that the people can rely on public transport,” said Nikrani.

He added that the CHLMC had informed Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal on Thursday of the plan. “Go ahead and make the valley free of traffic jams,” Nikrani quoted the prime minister as saying. To implement the plan, the Prime Minister’s office has formed a technical coordination team comprising all stakeholders of various departments.  

KMC Executive Director Ananda Prasad Pokhrel said the number of vehicles is increasing rapidly and that the valley will not be able to sustain the growing load of vehicles over the years. “This plan will be a boon for the future of Kathmandu Valley,” said Pokhrel, stressing the need for its implementation. 

Sounding a note of caution, former DoTM chief Sharad Chandra Poudel expressed apprehension that the plan would not be implemented at the practical level. “It’s a challenging job,” said Poudel. “All public vehicles are owned by private companies. This means it will be a tough job to manage private public vehicles.” KMC has floated the idea that all the inner one-lane roads should be expanded to two lanes. Cancelling the former rule to leave three feet space for inner way, KMC has launched a new system that has at least 13 to 15 ft space while constructing houses.

Posted on: 2010-06-20 08:32

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