urgent public importance on road safety

By Ranjit Dhamala,

Kathmandu, Magh 29 : Today’s meeting of the House of Representatives has deliberated on the proposal of urgent public importance on road safety.
Nepali Congress lawmaker Dr. Dila Sangraula registered a proposal of urgent public importance at the Parliament Secretary, calling for the earliest implementation of the National Road Safety Action Plan 2013-2020.
According to a statistics of Nepal Police, as many as 8,982 persons were killed in 40,777 road accidents across the country over a period of five years (2013-2018).
Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Raghubir Mahaseth, while responding to the queries raised by the lawmakers, said the suggestion offered by the lawmakers to form road safety council would help minimize road accidents.
Minister Mahaseth shared that the tender called for road construction and upgradation prior to this government were being constructed and upgraded accordingly. The new roads had compulsorily made arrangement for footpaths and the criteria were met.
The expansion of East-West Highway from existing two to four lanes had also started, according to him.
Furthermore, the Minister informed that the works related to roads were stalled due to the decision of the Supreme Court while new provision has been put in place for the distribution of driving license.
A new study and works were in the offing in the Mugling-Narayangadh road where road accidents occur more.
Similarly, Dr Shangraula, shedding light on registering the proposal, said that around 13 people were killed at road accidents in the country on a daily basis. The road accidents were on rise by 30 per cent lately owing to inadequacy of roads and the growing number of vehicles.
The police statistic shows that on an average, 2,000 people lose their lives to road accidents in every year. She also spoke of the need to consider the amendment in the 26-year-old Motor Vehicle and Transport Management Act and take into serious account the measures to reduce the growing number of accidents.
Supporter of the proposal, NC’s lawmaker Sanjay Kumar Gautam said that the proposal on urgent public importance was proposed in the context of growing number of road accidents. He commented that the government had failed to ensure reforms in road management.
Stating that there were inadequate traffic lights in major roads of Kathmandu Valley, he stressed on a separate lane to be constructed for bicycles and pedestrians on the roads.
NC lawmaker Rangamati Shahi underscored imparting road safety related knowledge to the public and amendment of related laws.
The lawmakers participating in the deliberation argued that 90 percent of the road accidents reported in the country was due to the negligence of drivers. They were of the view that road accidents could be reduced if the population and vehicles were decentralized as new cities would be developed in all districts.
Furthermore, they voiced for regular examination and maintenance of the vehicles, meeting criteria for road construction and tightening the noose while distributing the driver’s license.

Lawmakers participating in the deliberation were Mahesh Basnet, Prem Suwal, Tek Bahadur Basnet, Khagaraj Adhikari, Durga Poudel, Ram Kumari Jhankri and Teju Lal Chaudhary, among others.
Report submitted
Meanwhile, reports of three different parliamentary committees were submitted in today’s HoR meeting. Finance Committee’s President Krishna Prasad Dahal submitted ‘Committee’s Report on Bill related to Aduiting-2075’.
Similarly, Law, Justice, Human Rights Committee President Krishna Bhakta Pokharel submitted ‘Committee’s Report on Bill related to Amendment of Acts-2075 and President of Agriculture Cooperative and Natural Resources Committee Purna Kumari Subedi submitted ‘ Committee’s Report on Bill related to Pesticides Management-2075’.