Water prices have consistently trended upward in urban areas while on the contrary water is flowing without being utilized in villages.
It is, therefore, managing water should be the first and foremost thing for the local representatives.
The local representatives should also pay attention to the public toilets where people are compelled to pay to even urinate.
It is equally important for the local level representatives to manage the haphazardly thrown garbage by installing dustbins in the city areas.
Most importantly, city dwellers are deprived of open places and parks where they can relax.
Kathmandu lacks such places and parks since people are compelled to pay to enter them. This is another thing that local level representatives need to pay attention to.
Meanwhile, are the local level representatives aware of the behavior of public transport staffers? The majority of them are rude to the passengers.
This is not an issue to be taken lightly since drivers, instead of slowing down their vehicles, accelerate even when people are on the zebra crossings.
Road traffic in Kathmandu appears to be worsening. Moreover, traffic brings more pollution.
The local level representatives, too, need to ensure a healthy eating environment in city areas.
Government employees avail transportation facilities. However, the buses carrying staffers are not well-managed.
In order to manage them properly, the local representatives need to set a time for the bus to pick up the staffers and reach the office, which will also save the cost of buying a car. Moreover, private schools, too, have many school buses.
If we can manage the road or the footpaths properly, students can walk for 15 to 30 minutes to their school. This can be one of the most sensible ways to reduce traffic congestion.
Equally important is to manage the road or lane for elderlies and differently-abled people.
It would be great if the road could be managed in such a way that it could be for both the cyclists as well as bikers since cycling is one of the easy wins for policymakers.
Unfortunately, there is a misconception that people who have cars are branded dignified while pedestrians are often insulted and dishonored.
Therefore, the local representatives have to pay attention to protecting the pedestrians from those who drive.
Another major issue to be considered is that Kathmandu has witnessed a significant rise in the number of motorbikes, which is one of the major factors causing traffic jams.
It is the responsibility of the local representatives to manage traffic congestion in the city area.
Reducing traffic congestion in Kathmandu can be a fiendishly complicated issue, which is to reduce the number of vehicles.
It would be great if the road could be managed in such a way that it could be for both the cyclists as well as bikers since cycling is one of the easy wins for policymakers.
Just giving over a small amount of road space for cycle lanes will be one of the solutions.
(Edited excerpts from the opinion of educationist Prof. Dr. Bidyanath Koirala at a program organized by Khabarhab)
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