January 26: The government has forwarded a plan to construct 3,000 suspension bridges across the country in the next two years. This initiative has been taken to ensure that there is a suspension bridge in every half an hour’s walking distance in a bid to facilitate the mobility of people and not to deprive them of their rights to basic facilities like education and health due to the lack of bridges, according to the Ministry of Urban Development.    
Soon after assuming office, newly-appointed Urban Development Minister Bikram Pandey approved the plan to construct the suspension bridges, a project mentioned in the current 15th plan of the government. The plan has been forwarded accordingly, said Director General of the Department of Local Infrastructure, Ishwor Chandra Marahatta.    
"The project will save lives of people, who in general are risking their lives for want of bridges," he said.    
The government at all three levels -- federal, provincial and local – will be involved in the project. The local level is required to construct a bridge less than 120 meters in length, and the federal government is responsible for a bridge more than that length, said Marahatta. The federal government is required to provide budget to the local level for the project.    
In the current fiscal year (FY 2022/23), Rs 6 billion has been allocated for this project. The local levels have been already asked to provide project details including the location and the number, said Marahatta, adding, "Further decision will be taken after a team from the department carries out a study based on the demand. The project will be implemented in the current FY." -- RSS