A modest request to Japanese Ambassador Jenji Kaminaga

This write up is presented here not to please the man concerned. It has not been penned simply to enjoy personal contacts with the dignitary mentioned in the following paragraphs.

But then why has it been penned? Yes, this is a question indeed.

About three years back, right here in Kathmandu, one Ambassador from ASEAN country wrote a letter to the Kathmandu post wherein he had mentioned the terrible condition of the road that led to his Embassy in Maharajgunj.

When enough had been enough, the foreign diplomat considered it opportune and necessary to inform the press about the condition of the road that went to his embassy and beyond.

The fact was that a consort of one Thai embassy staffer had a labor pain. When she was rushed to the hospital, unfortunately due to the bad condition of the road she had to give birth to the child right on her way to the hospital. This must have enraged the Ambassador and hence he thought to hit the government the other way round. Later, what was seen that some portion of the road mentioned by the Ambassador got repaired.

My writing is exactly not on that line but has some similarity in that I am too talking about the construction of a road that is already "under construction".

I am talking about the road that is being built with the Japanese assistance-the Dhulikhel-Bardibas highway.

My attention was drawn to a piece of news that said in part that the Japanese government provided a lumpsome of Rupees 27 crores to the Nepali side for the maintenance of that part of the road which was damaged by the last year’s flood.

As usual, I drove this Saturday to see the condition of the said road for myself to ascertain the damages in the section mentioned in the donation ceremony.

In the process, I reached up to KATUNJE village from where I was told not to proceed further. Up to this place, the road was not that bad as one could mention. In all, I could have gone some thirty Kilometers from Dhulikhel. Reports said that the road beyond Katunje were bad up to Nepalthok.

The road is good, frankly speaking. It is solid by any standard. I am told that the same road beginning from the other end of Bardibas is also black topped for about forty kilometers. The total length of the road is reportedly 160 kms. A four hour patient drive from Kathmandu can bring you to Bardibas and if you are a Janakpur bound passenger, then it is only a matter of forty minutes from Bardibas. And if you wish to go to Biratnagar, it should not be a matter more than three and a half hours from Bardibas.

Now to come to the point. I wish to politely request the Japanese envoy to kindly consider this request as this request is being backed by the entire population who hails from Terai plains including this scribe.

Last year’s flood had its contribution in damaging the already constructed roads. The Maoists too added their own share of destruction last year. In effect, the Maoists made a deadly and violent attack on a police post located in Naubise village close to Bhakundebesi—a newly developed township certainly after the road passed through it.

During my last trip to Naubise this Saturday, I wished to talk to some residents of the area. They were all happy with the construction of the road. To put it more straight, the produce of these areas now could come to Baneshwar in Kathmandu which definitely means that the road has already started contributing to the expansion of the stagnant economy of those areas. Understandably, when the road will be complete, the village economy will not only get an opportunity to expand their economy but will also integrate the population with the Capital—Kathmandu.

I, for one, know that the embassy is not constructing the road. I know that one Japanese company is engaged in this task.

But yet what I believe, and many others also believe that if the Ambassador of Japan is appealed and if he in turn gives signals to the men in the project, the construction of the road could be expedited.

It is rainy season. The monsoon will definitely impede the speedy construction of the rest of the road. However, our request would be to Ambassador Jenzi Kaminaga to do the needful in this regard to the extent that is within his command so that the population belonging to the eastern region could not only save time but would indirectly allow the country to save the precious fuel.

A Biratnagar bound passenger saves almost fife hours if he is using this road. Or else, the same passenger consumes thirteen hours to reach Biratnagar. Look the difference of time and the consumption of the fuel!

In addition to all these seen advantages, the one that is equally important and significant is the diversion of the heavy traffick of the vehicles. The day this road comes into full-fledged operation, say about fifty percent of the vehicles could be diverted to this newly built route. This will undoubtedly minimize the risk of accidents and unnecessary traffic jams. This would lessen the burden of the Kathmandu-Naubise-Mugling-Narayanghat highway to a greater extent.

The rest the Ambassador himself knows.

I once again urge the Ambassador to look into this matter seriously but then don’t take it as a pressure from this scribe. Consider the case of the population belonging to the Terai plains and enjoy blessings from the elders of the eastern region.

If the Ambassador so desires, I can collect thousands of signature appealing him to take up the matter seriously. Among the crowd of the many, I will have also my signature in the appeal that could be submitted to the Japanese envoy.

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