Focus on improving traffic management in Kathmandu.
Kathmandu, August 3
Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Devendra Dahal, has stressed the need to improve traffic management in the Kathmandu Valley, making it more efficient and user-friendly. Speaking at a meeting in Lalitpur on the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Kathmandu Valley Urban Transport System Master Plan Project, he highlighted the Valley’s importance as the federal capital and a hub of cultural and economic activity, but criticized its current disorganized transport system.
Dahal expressed concern that despite having a transport master plan since 2012 and an update in 2017, the situation has not improved. He pointed to the growing number of vehicles, haphazard urban development, and lack of infrastructure as key reasons behind worsening traffic, frequent delays, and increasing air pollution — all of which are hurting public health and the economy.
He emphasized the urgent need to act, warning that failure to take concrete steps now could lead to an even more unmanageable situation and threaten the Valley’s livability and sustainability. "This project might be our last chance to find both short-term and long-term solutions," he said.
Minister for Forest and Environment, Ain Bahadur Shahi, also pledged his ministry’s support for better coordination to improve traffic conditions. Meanwhile, Keshav Kumar Sharma, Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, called for multi-agency cooperation to develop a sustainable, safe, and inclusive transportation system in the Valley.
Experts from various agencies also shared their proposals on how to make Kathmandu’s transport system more effective and commuter-friendly.
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