--By Rajan Pradhan

 

There is no looking back; the road widening spree that started in Kathmandu a couple of years back has continued unhindered despite several change of guard at the political level. Past experience shows that priorities and financial commitments get diverted with the change in leadership. But the trend has spared this spree- a commitment rarely witnessed in this country. Understanding of the motivating factor that led to this unrestrained continuity to the project under consideration and implementing similar models in other development projects could be imperative in achieving national development goals. That being said, this project also has equally overlooked some core issues and areas that could adversely affect the city and its dwellers in the days ahead. 

 

The rampant demolition of 200 km of road demolished, supplemented with disproportional graveling of 45 km and black-topping of 22 km road has brought Kathmanduites more suffering-physical and mental. Increased level of dust in the neighbourhood and on the road has made them more prone to respiratory infection. Interruption of essential services like water, telephone and electricity supply and road transportation caused by ongoing excavation and dumping of construction material have added to the woes that already exist. The sewerage and rain-flooded roads and the slushy walkway caused by disruption of existing drainage and sewerage system, has equally affected pedestrians and vehicle owners to walk and ply on the road. Chopping of age-old trees without devising and implementing a proper re-plantation scheme has not only spoiled the aesthetics of this ancient city but has also adversely affected the environmental harmony.

 

The trade off for the anxiety we are presently in could be a hope to have a better place to dwell in. However, the extent of unease we are going through cannot be inevitable. 

 

The pace of demolishing could have been adjusted, if concerned authorities had planned it well before initiating it. One of the reasons behind such an unrealistic rush could be the fear of losing the tempo of acquiring the ‘right of way’ under state ownership from private holding. A house owner, who otherwise does not leave any stone unturned to resist losing even an inch of land, remains mute and gratified to states’ encroachment on the land when the neighbour  next door also loses. The spree took Kathmanduites by surprise and were awed by the change promised.  If this trance had broken, it could have resulted in resistance from citizens, thereby decelerating the whole process. 

 

There are plenty of direct beneficiaries here. The people who had speculated on the market capitalization of land that has no road access, but bordering the proposed “guided land development” road alignment and those who had no option than to put up a house in  middle of farmed land without any approach should have seen it as the final assault to make their dream come true. Intense lobbying from such group of people coupled with general populace not protesting, hoping for a proper road network, provided necessary impetus for the government to implement its demolishing spree despite lacking ground work to manage it efficiently.

 

The state breached the rights of its citizen while it tried to acquire its ‘right to way’. The desired acquisition of privately owned land should have been legally handled, without physically destroying the assets. The thrust of the project should have been on acquiring the right of way and implementing demolishing and re-construction projects in tandem. This modality could have given ample time for owners to realign their property, lesser pain for pedestrians to suffer, better time line for planners to fix proper road alignment and sufficient time for service providers to relocate their distribution lines. In lack of such a process, the state is presently investing state finances on private properties.

 

Investing on privately owned asset from state’s coffer cannot be logical per se.  Most of land acquired by the expansion project still legally belongs to the private owners as per the land ownership certificate. Land owners, who no more have the land with them, are still paying land taxes. While working as Project Manager at the Department of Transportation, City of Baltimore, USA, the author had experienced acute care given to issues pertaining to the ‘right of way’ through a separate Right-of-Way Department. In spite of that the project seldom got on hold. The story in our context has been different. Citizens were taken for granted and were not informed well of the choices they had.

 

Roads wider than the ones we have, no matter  if it is by a foot or a meter, alone should not be the objective for the drive we are into, with investment worth billions of rupees pumped in from both private and government sector. The project has simply followed the existing alignment or oddly shaped property line and has not adopted proper geometric curves and gradients and neglected the need of pedestrians- both able and differently able. This has created several blind spots, sharp turns, steep slopes and confusions transforming our city into a death trap and a city more difficult to manage -especially while assuming wider roads will have bigger and more vehicles to ply on. The projection of population growth in years to come should be the basis for determining the size and designs of the road network and of the services that get buried under these road. The services that get laid are meant to serve not only the existing generation but also the posterity. 

 

The importance given to public participation by the state in this endeavour to reconstruct the capital cannot be undermined. Their participation not only helped the executors resolve and understand local issues but also helped creating ownership of the development among the locals. This will ensure sustainability in years to come. However, without elected bodies at the local level, the essence of public participation seems to be ignored barring involvement of few disorganized neighbourhood committees which are often monopolized by influential residents guided by their vested interests. There should be mechanism, perhaps series of public hearings in each locality to pull in maximum possible stakeholders to openly discuss how they want their neighbourhood to be developed. Rather than being privy about the detailed designs and alignments or being totally ignorant about the design aspect of road construction, the executor should be candid in discussing issues. 

 

The citizens have done their part of duty by offering the land and by not complaining of the anxiety they are through and of the rights that the state has deprived them of. Even though the state has left out some core issues from consideration while implementing the project, executing it to its logical end would ensure wiser use of tax payer’s money and a safe and healthy city to dwell in.

 

(Pradhan is Director - Corporate Affairs and Business Development at Soaltee Hotel Limited.)