Pokhara Mayor Calls for Rethinking Riverside Road Construction

Lalitpur. Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya has said that the idea of constructing roads from riverbanks should be reviewed. Speaking at a program organized in Lalitpur on Wednesday, Acharya pointed out the need to reconsider the policy and practice of road construction. He emphasized the need to evaluate not only the immediate distance or the availability of construction materials but also the long-term impact on the country's economy when constructing roads. Mentioning that in the past, roads were built on riverbanks due to reasons such as easy access to construction materials and faster construction, he said that now we need to be serious about its long-term impact. He expressed the view that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) should not be taken merely as a means to complete paper procedures. Drawing the attention of the concerned ministry's secretary, he stressed that EIA and IEE should be based on actual studies and risk assessments. Speaking at the program, Mayor Acharya said, 'Did we do it just because the distance is shorter, or should we now pay attention to what impact it has on the entire economy of the country in the long term? Aren't our EIA and IEE just a matter of submitting reports by copying and pasting papers? Why does a single landslide on one of our highways break the connectivity of the entire country? Where did we go wrong?' Stating that human life is the greatest asset, he added, 'More than a dozen accidents are happening in the city every day, let's change the policy, if we can improve what has happened so that it is not repeated, this symposium will have great meaning for sustainable transport, especially urban mobility.' He said that a review is needed on the situation where roads are blocked in practice and the connectivity of the entire country is affected by a landslide on a highway, even after completing the environmental and technical study processes. He expressed the view that policies should be made in the coming days to prevent such problems from recurring by reviewing past weaknesses at the policy level. He said that the increasing road accidents in urban areas should also be viewed in conjunction with policy weaknesses. Emphasizing the need to study data related to various means of transport and traffic management within cities, he stressed the need to identify the causes of accidents and make improvements at the policy level. He stated that the goal of sustainable transport and urban mobility can be achieved only by formulating policies with a focus on the long-term economic, environmental, and human impact in the construction of road and transport infrastructure.