Govt agencies join forces for cleaner Valley

Three government agencies have come together to make the Valley greener and cleaner after the road expansion drive leaves the roads wider and more open.
"The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), Kathamandu Metropolitan Office (KMO) and the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conversation (MoFSC) have come up jointly with plans to make the Valley more beautiful," said Krishna Hari Banskota, secretary at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM).
Secretary Banskota, who is also coordinator of the road expansion program, said that the three different agencies concerned, namely MoUD, KMO and MoFSC, have come up with different plans for a building code for the front part of roadside buildings, 24-hour cleaning service in the Valley, and planting of trees on the roadside and in open spaces.
"The joint initiative of the three line agencies will make the Valley greener and cleaner," Banskota said.
However, the agencies are still working on how they can jointly carry out the task of making the Valley more beautiful and add a flavor of greenery to the roads that are now wider, according to Banskota.
"We will soon come up with proper plans and implement them," Banskota said, citing high-level officials from agencies such as MoUD and KMO, after inspecting the road expansion work on Saturday.
According to Banskota, Valley denizens whose houses are on the roadside should comply with the building code that the government or the local body -- KMO -- develops.
A team of officials including Tulasi Prasad Sitaula, secretary at the Ministry of Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management (MoPPWTM), Kishore Thapa, secretary at MoUD, and Kedar Bahadur Adhikari, executive officer at KMO, among others, had inspected the progress made so far under Banskota´s leadership.
According to Banskota, various road sections, such as Dillibazar-Bhatbhateni-Bhairavnathgan (3.3 km), Kamalpokhari-Maitidevi (1 km) and Gairidhara-Baluwatar (1 km), have been blacktopped.
Similarly, the Chabahil Chowk (150 meters), Anamnagar-Kalikasthan (700 meters), Naniganj-Gairidhara (300 meters), Gairidhara-Chhateganesh (280 meters), Gairidhara-Police Headquarters (300 meters), Maitidevi-Setopul Sadak (320 meters), Bhatkekopul-Chabahil Ganeshsthan (500 meters) and Bhatbhateni-Bishalnagar (700 meters) road sections have already been blacktopped.
Meanwhile, Secretary Banskota has asked all the agencies concerned, including Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), to speed up the task of replacing water pipes, electricity poles and transformers. "The road expansion should be completed as soon as possible," Banskota said.
Furthermore, Banskota said that the Department for International Development (DfID) of the UK is ready to demolish its compound wall to support road expansion in Lalitpur.