National 8 (Spotlight Weekly)

City Solace

New street names and house numbers give Kathmandu a modern poise

By NIRAJ POUDYAL

When Ramesh Adhikari arrived in the capital five years ago to meet his friend, Kumar Bista, he had to spend a night in a guesthouse. Adhikari couldn't locate Bista's residence in Balwatar. The friend's name and locality were not of much use in a jumbled city.

This time, things were different. Adhikari told the taxi driver the street name and Bista's house number. He reached his friend's house in 15 minutes from the bus park.

A street in Kathmandu : Getting a face-lift

Things were made easier by the metric addressing system that has come into use in parts of the capital. Kathmandu Metropolitan City, with the assistance of the European Commission, started the metric addressing system about three years ago. The program is expected to be completed by April next year.

Under the program, the city has been divided into five sectors. Work has been completed in three. Each road, path and street is given a name. For each road, the end and stt by the law. Roads hardly have uniform width. Many houses do not have proper road access.

This incongruity in construction has created problems for drivers, postmen, security agencies and the general public. Postmen find it very difficult to locate unfamiliar addresses and those expecting important mail never get it delivered. Similar difficulties prevent city police from reaching their destination on time.

According to a study, there are between 100,000 and 120,000 houses in the capital city. "Obviouslyt by the law. Roads hardly have uniform width. Many houses do not have proper road access.

According to a study, there are between 100,000 and 120,000 houses in the capital city. "Obviously it becomes very hard to identify a particular house," said Arjun Pandey, an engineer at the valley mapping project.

Allocating names and numbers is just the beginning of the process. "For the success of this project, everyone should be acquainted with this system. Moreover, they must build the habit of using this scientific system," Pandey said. "We have already conducted a training program for some postmen."

A lot of people are used to doing things the old way. How have they responded? "The public is quite excited about the project," Pandey added. "Since this is a new system, it may take some time for users to learn it. Once they do, day-to-day life will be quite easier," he said.

The project has paid attention to some practical consequences as well. "Construction of new houses and buildings, for instance, wouldn't hamper the system, since the number of the house depends upon the distance," Pandey said.

This new system would help organizations and agencies that provide home system. Electricity, water and telephone corporations can provide prompter and efficient service. Residents, for their part, can take that satisfying step closer to urban life. And people like Adhikari won't have to waste precious time and money in the capital's snarl.