Road
Maintenance
WHILE building
infrastructure is a prerequisite to attaining speedy growth in all sectors, maintaining
the already existing infrastructure such as roads, airports and the like is equally
important. The maintenance part needs to be given due priority, as doing so would enable
to curtail huge expenses later on. Nepal has witnessed a visible improvement in the
upgrading of its infrastructure base in the past decades. Building of roads, which is
believed to be the motor of change for development, has taken place at a rapid pace. The
road network connecting the far-flung hilly districts has increased market accessibility
for the farmers. They no longer have to walk for long strenuous hours to sell their farm
products. The efforts to build a sound road infrastructure have played a catalytic role to
give a fillip to tourism and hydropower development. The laxity shown in the maintenance
of roads, however, has been posing a big set back to the entire development process.
Absence of regular renovation could have a negative impact on other development sectors as
well. Though the maintenance of roads has been carried out from time to time by the
concerned department, regularity in maintenance works seem to be lacking. The result of
irregular maintenance has led to the deterioration road conditions. The earnest efforts on
the part of the Roads Department to address the deplorable state of the roads in the
capital city in view of the impending SAARC summit needs to be commended. The department
has so far already renovated thirty thousand square meters of road. It has been reported
that the department is looking forward to renovate a total of two hundred thousand square
meters of road. The people in the Roads department seem to be working day in and day out
to give a face-lift to the roads along the main thoroughfares of the capital city. All
this is a telling tale of the fact that given the commitment and the integrity, the
officials at the department can translate words into action. Now that it has given a head
start to the maintenance of roads, the same needs to be replicated in other parts of the
Kingdom. Timely maintenance would not only help to stop the unwanted loss of government
funds but would also contribute towards checking road accidents. Hence, the multiple
effects of timely and regular maintenance needs to be acknowledged by the concerned
authorities.
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