EFFECT OF ROAD EXPANSION ON LOCAL HOUSEHOLDS;

LALITPUR DISTRICT

NIRANJAN SUBEDI

A dissertation submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of

Bachelors of Arts in Social Work

SOWK 410 Project Work (Thesis)

………………………………. ………………………………...
Fr. S. Arulanandam, S.J Prof. Dr. Niranjan Sharma

Dissertation Supervisor External Dissertation Evaluators

St. Xavier's College

Department of Social Work

Kathmandu University

June 2015

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 Declaration and Confirmation

I, hereby, declare that this dissertation entitled ‘Effect of road expansion in local households;

lalitpur district’, submitted to St. Xavier’s college of Social Work, Maitighar, Kathmandu

University is my original work done in the form of partial fulfillment of the requirements for

the Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, under the supervision of Fr. S. Arulanandam, S.J and

has not been submitted for candidature of any other degree.

I understand that my dissertation will become a part of the permanent collection of St.

Xavier’s College library. My signature below authorizes the release of my dissertation to any

reader upon request for scholarly purpose.

………………………………….

Niranjan Subedi

Bachelors of Arts in Social Work

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my deep gratitude to Fr. S. Arulanandam, S.J, Head of BSW Department, for
providing this opportunity to carry out research on the topic of my interest. This research was
a platform for Social Work practice and learning hub, which again is a part of academic
credits of BSW four year courses. First, I express my thankfulness to my research guide Sr.
Lydia Kim for her valuable and continuous support and guidance during her presence. I would
also like to extend my gratitude to Fr. S. Arulanandam S.J for his guidance on behalf of Sr.
Lydia Kim. He played a major role for the completion of my dissertation. From selection of
my topic to submission of the final draft of my dissertation he provided his suggestions and
proper direction to conduct my research successfully.

I am thankful to locals of lalitpur area for their co-operation in conducting survey in various
areas of lalitpur district. Survey was major part of my research as it worked as primary data
source to understand the effect faced by the local households. This research would not have
been successful without cooperation of locals who actively participated in my survey despite
their busy schedule. I express my sincere gratitude to them for their support and cooperation.

I am equally thankful to my family and friends for their support and motivation. Their
continuous support and motivation helped me lead this research with enthusiasm. Last but not
the least I express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped me in this research one
way or the other.

Thank you
Niranjan Subedi

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 ABSTRACTS

This paper focuses and explores the Effects of Road Expansion on Local Households;
Lalitpur District from the view point of local residents of lalitpur area. More specifically,
this paper focuses on what is believed to be the sole reason for public agitation regarding the
road embellishment.

The review of the literature in this paper leads to two research question: (1) Is the road
construction program necessary? (2) What are the positive and negative effects that the
program brings?

The study area for this research focuses on the areas of the expanded roads. The study area
also describes on effect of road expansion on the local peoples' household. The survey was
carried out in the lalitpur district mostly in the Balkumari, Gorkhu, Imadol, Satdobato and
Mahalaxmisthan area. The major respondent in this research are local households.

Despite the amount of planning, arguments, suggestion and recommendation, political

influences and multiple views of ideologies with the hopes of better reconstruction of
Kathmandu Valley, the disagreement and loss of faith in government plans by the public has
become the greatest challenge to take Nepal into the next step. Although many scholars argue
that development has to involve road network as its key factors in achieving economic
growth, some still disagree to demolish the houses and monuments that were built years ago
just for the name of development.

The importance of being able to understand the development of the country is crucial because
one can only participate in the development process once he/she has the knowledge of what is
being formulated. To know more about such infrastructure development, such as road, one
must understand the policies, criteria and procedures. In this research, the results have shown
how people are affected by the road expansion project. The impacts have been horrendous as
development takes to another new level.

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 Table of Contents

ABBREVIATION 1
CHAPTER I 2
INTRODUCTION 2
1.1. BACKGROUND 2
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 3
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH 4
1.4 RATIONALE OF THE STUDY 4
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 4
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 5
1.7 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION 5
1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 6
1.9 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY 6
CHAPTER – II 8
LITERATURE REVIEW 8
2.1 LITERATURE ON SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL THEORIES RELATED TO ROAD ASSOCIATED
DEVELOPMENT 8
2.2 LITERATURE CONCERNING ON THE IMPACTS OF ROAD EXPANSION 10
CHAPTER III 21
RESEARCH METHODS 21
3.1 STUDY AREA 21
3.2 RESEARCH DESIGN 21
3.3 NATURE OF DATA 21
3.4 UNIVERSE AND SAMPLING METHOD 21
3.5 DATA COLLECTION TECHNIQUE 22
3.6 METHODS OF DATA PRESENTATION 22
CHAPTER IV 23
DATA ANALYSIS 23
CHAPTER V 45
MAJOR FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 45
5.1 SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS 45
5.2 CONCLUSION 46
 5.3 RECOMMENDATION 47
ANNEX-1 49
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 49
REFERENCES 55
 TABLE OF FIGURE

Figure 4. 1 Survey Area 23

Figure 4. 2 View towards road expansion 24
Figure 4. 3 Road expansion brought any changes in your area 25
Figure 4. 4 Must benefited by road expansion 26
Figure 4. 5 Must affected by road expansion 27
Figure 4. 5 Must affected by road expansion 27
Figure 4. 6 Noticed changes during road expansion 28
Figure 4. 7 Rates of accidents 29
Figure 4. 8 Impact on the natural resources 30
Figure 4. 9 Impact on cultural heritage 31
Figure 4. 10 Affected property by road expansion 32
Figure 4. 11 Aware about the rules 33
Figure 4. 12 Followed rules while building house 34
Figure 4. 13 Families living in rent 35
Figure 4. 14 Challenges faced by tenants 36
Figure 4. 15 Financial loss on rent 37
Figure 4. 16 Received Compensation 38
Figure 4. 17 Satisfied with the received compensation or
procedure of receiving compensation 39
Figure 4. 18 Affected groups by health problem 40
Figure 4. 19 Common health problem 41
Figure 4. 20 Water problem 42
Figure 4. 21 Electricity problem 43
Figure 4. 22 Drainage problem 44
 ABBREVIATION

DoR Department of Roads

NT Nepal Telecom

NEA Nepal Electricity Authority

KUKL Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited

KVDA Kathmandu Valley Development Authority

KVREC Kathmandu Valley Road Expansion Committee

EIA Environment Impact Assessment

DFO District Forestry Office

KVTDIC Kathmandu Valley Town Development

Implementation Committee
ICIMOD International Center for Integrated Mountain
Development
MoSTE Ministry of Science, Technology and
Environment
NHRC Nepal Health Research Council

MTPD Metropolitan Traffic Police Division

EU European Union

UNDP United Nation Development Program

SC Supreme Court

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 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background

This study is aimed at discovering the effects of the road construction at the local level. The
basic assumption of the study was that the road construction has both positive and negative
impacts on its population residing in catchment areas. This study tried to clear the conceptual
baggage the road brings about positive and negative effect together in both household and
population living in that area. The data/information was generated (through interviews and
observations) from Balkumari to Mahalaxmisthan road of Lalitpur District.

The thematic analysis of the records (collected during the survey) is similar with secondary
information collected through the various sources and observation. The road construction has
lead to several changes thereby resulting into modernization in the road catchment areas.
However, its negative pole was equally active resulting pollution, impact in environment,
impact in health, economic impact and other various effects in the functioning of daily life in
the road neighborhoods. As a student of social work, the researcher held it with the
requirement of more positive change to be enhanced in the areas in conjunction with the
advocacy on behalf of the people suffered during and following the road construction. The
issue of compensation for the land acquired during the construction and demolish of the
property of local people are the other major issues raised during the study.

Initiated in November 2011 by the then Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai led government,
the road expansion project planned to cover 200 kilometers of roads in the valley. However,
till date only 25 kilometers of roads have been blacktopped and the work on the rest is
ongoing. According to government officials, lack of coordination among concerned authorities
such as Department of Roads (DoR), Nepal Telecom, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA),
Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL), Kathmandu Valley Development
Authority (KVDA) and locals, shortage of construction materials, skilled manpower and weak

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performance from contractors are the main factors. Because of which the local people are also
facing problems in their daily life and many other problems regarding the road are being added
on the problem list.
Shyam Kharel, the chief of Kathmandu Valley Road Expansion Committee (KVREC), says,
“Without demolishing the existing structures, we are unable to take any further action, which is
why it is taking so long to complete the projects.” Kharel also points at unavailability of raw
materials and unqualified contractors to be other problems they are facing in timely completion
of reconstruction work.

There are mainly five bodies responsible for road expansion and reconstruction in the valley.
They are Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA), Division of Road Office -
Lalitpur, Division of Road Office - Bhaktapur, Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office and
Division of Road (DoR). According to KVDA, in Kathmandu 108 road sections — 133
kilometers — have been widened, while 72 roads — 54 kilometers — are in the process of
being widened. KVDA is planning to mark 82 roads — 70 kilometers — for expansion in the
future. In the first phase of reconstruction, DoR is responsible for completing 91 kilometers of
road section, of which they have accomplished 20 kilometers and are planning to complete the
remaining within this fiscal year i.e. 2013-14

1.2 Statement of the Problem

To mention about the statement of the problem it could be taken as a burning issue. Increasing
number of road expansion has obviously benefited the road users and locals. However based
on the fact that not all the people are equally benefited and some are not benefited at all, the
research problem is stated as " Effect of Road Expansion on local households: Lalitpur Area".

Feasibility studies like EIA (Environment Impact Assessment),which are in practice these days
do not at all incorporate the apprehending adverse impacts of social environment in road
neighboring areas. Furthermore, considering an essence of locales participation for the
sustainability of road projects, a study like this is very important which encourages the socio-
economic, environmental and cultural assessment to be under taken prior to and following the
road construction.

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1.3 Objectives of the Research

The objective of this study, in general, is to explore the socio-economic impact together with
environmental impacts of the local areas of road expansion on lalitpur areas and in particular
the objectives are as detailed below:

 To find out the effects of road reconstruction on local people

 To observe socio-environmental impacts of road construction on locales
 To explore the challenges faced in daily life and health by local people
 To understand the impacts of road construction in social/cultural context
 To address the issues of compensation of private land, and effect on property of locals
through the road expansion

1.4 Rationale of the Study

Road expansion is emerging issue in Nepal at present context to solve the traffic problem in
the major cities of Nepal. The major focus of road expansion is capital of Nation i.e.
Kathmandu valley which includes lalitpur and bhaktapur districts. Trying to solve traffic jams
by building bigger roads is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline.” This quote from former
mayor of Bogota Enrique Penalosa is worth mentioning at a time road expansion and multi-
lane highways are top priority for our government, apparently to solve traffic congestion in
the Kathmandu Valley. One of such projects is widening of the Ring Road to eight lanes with
Chinese assistance.

Development is always positive but there are various consequences of development activities,
consequences shouldn't be over looked but rather studied and try to minimize the situation
brought out by consequences. Therefore this study focuses on the positive as well as the
negative impact of road expansion in the lalitpur area.

1.5 Research Questions

The study focused primarily to answer the following questions:

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 Is the road reconstruction program necessary?

 What are the positive and negative effects that the program brings?

 What is the present condition of the road expansion?

 What sort of impacts arises on the local households during the road reconstruction?

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study has focused on the present condition of the road expansion. The study area is limited
to the Lalitpur District only. The study also deals with the impacts of road expansion on the
daily life of local households. It also included the various legal provision related to
compensation and negligence of the construction company and other authorities.

1.7 Operational Definition

According to Wikipedia,

Infrastructure is the basic physical and organizational structure needed for the operation of
a society or enterprise or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function. It
can be generally defined as the set of interconnected structural elements that provide a
framework supporting an entire structure of development. It is an important term for judging a
country or region's development.

Roads consist of one or two roadways , each with one or more lanes and any associated
sidewalks and road verges. Roads that are available for use by the public may be referred to as
public roads or as highways.

Financial compensation refers to the act of providing a person with money or other things of

economic value in exchange for their goods, labor, or to provide for the costs of injuries that
they have incurred.

The word authority (Derived from the Latin word auctoritas) can be used to mean power given

by the state (in the form of government, judges, police officers, etc.) or

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by academic knowledge of an area (someone can be an authority on a subject).When the
word Authority is used in the name of an organization, this name usually refers to the
governing body upon which such authority is vested

1.8 Limitations of the Study

This study has following limitations:

 This study only covers specific area of the study due to resources, less number of
literature and time constraints.

 The primary research work has been carried only in some specific areas of Lalitpur
Districts. So, the findings may not be generalized for the whole Lalitpur district.

1.9 Organization of the Study

This study is divided into following chapters:

 Chapter 1: Introduction

This chapter deals with introduction of this study. It covers the background, objectives of the
study, statement of the problem, scope of the study, limitation of the study and organization of
the study.

 Chapter 2: Literature Review

This chapter deals with the various literatures, which were reviewed for the study. Some books
of foreign writers written on their perspectives and other related documents were utilized for
the conceptual understandings.

 Chapter 3: Research Methods

This chapter deals with the research design, data sources, method of data collection and
interpretation. A descriptive as well as explorative research design is adopted for the study.
The study utilized both secondary and primary data. The primary data were gathered using

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close ended questionnaire, where secondary data were collected through various articles and
documents.

 Chapter 4: Methods of Analysis

This chapter deals with the analysis part. It brings the various outcome of the study. It deals
with the information provided by the respondents. All the analysis part has been presented
through charts, and diagrams.

 Chapter 5: Major Findings, Conclusion and Recommendation

This chapter deals with the conclusion and recommendations. It comprises the main output of
the research study.

 Field observation and survey was carried out to find the situation of road expansion
and effects of road expansion on the locales.

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 CHAPTER – II

LITERATURE REVIEW

Literature review has been presented in two headings: (1) literature regarding the
anthropological and sociological theories related to road associated development (2) literature
concerning on the impacts of road expansion. The relevant literature is, in a way, scarce.
Hence, the efforts have been made to relate the following literature to the topics, to an extent
possible.

2.1 Literature on social anthropological theories related to road associated development

As written by T.S. Papopa (1981), road is not a development in itself, rather it's on
catalyst to development. But the road construction, to me, is a promoter to development rather
than simply a catalyst. The promoter differs from catalyst in that it is (as opposed to catalyst)
an agent of development coupled with development in itself. in this regard, the road
construction can be described in terms of modernization theory, world system
theory/dependency theory(as a criticism to modernization), conflict theory and symbolic
interactions.

Modernization theory as defined by Alex Inkeles (1974 cited in Spencer 1985) is "a
socio-psychological process with the traits like openness to experience, readiness to change,
awareness to diversity, orientation to long term planning, high value to schooling, high value
to technical skills and understanding of the production and industry". The road construction is
assumed to bring about Inkeles postulation because of its nature of connecting a society with
other advanced society. The interaction between the traditional and advanced society brings
about the transformation of traits that are functional to modern society to the traditional ones
(Spencer, 1985). Rostov's staged development from "traditional society to the society of mass
consumption" is also associated with the activities following the road construction. Hence,
road construction is as postulated by modernization/development theory, a process of change
and an approach of growth. But at the same time, the development like road construction is
always criticized by dependency theorists. A.G. Frank (1969) holds the view that

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development and underdevelopment are usually interlinked. Their relationship is created
mainly due to unequal exchange between center and periphery. Similarly, Wallenstein (1974)
(one of the world system theorist) postulated that semi-periphery and periphery relation of
newly industrialized countries' economy based on the center and periphery relationship. The
economy of the periphery is captured and controlled by the centers. Upon construction of a
road, the resources are exploited by powerful market centers eventually leading the system
producing the commodities for the centers thus ensuring development in few places and
underdevelopment in other places (Frank 1969). Hence, dependency theory unlike
modernization focuses on the relationship between nation statues. Dependency theory, do not
clearly recommend a straight forward approach to development, nor it is against development
process. However, dependency theorists stress on equal exchange and development (opposed
capitalist mode of development).

Like dependency theory, the notion of conflict theory is also opposed to the capitalist
development (modernization approach in a way). Marx believes that conflict is an
unavoidable situation and it leads to further development. Originally, Marx's version of
conflict theory was a criticism of functional (of social structure) aspect of a society which
postulates that conflict and dialect are the boosters of development.
Symbolic Interactionism as explained by H. Blummer (1980) is the conception that
people make their own interpretation about the things especially a structure. Symbolic
interactionism favors the structural functional model of a society. People have made a
conception that an organization/institution work in a specific way. But what would happen if
it starts working in different way. The assumption made by the people towards the function of
road would exemplify the notion of symbolic interactionism. But, what would happen if does
not work the way it is assumed to? This question is answered by conflict theorists again
stating that a structure is never stable, and nor it is functional all the time. There appears a
situation of conflict eventually loading to a transformation. the relation of symbolic
interactionism in road construction is seen in the situation when the road goes into an
recession destroying the entire networks and business, mobility etc. here the actual notion of
hoe road will work is changed. And hence the people's interpretation about the road is change
drastically.
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2.2 Literature concerning on the impacts of road expansion

Bigger Roads not a Boon

Trying to solve traffic jams by building bigger roads is like trying to put out a fire with
gasoline.” This quote from former mayor of Bogota Enrique Penalosa is worth mentioning at
a time road expansion and multi-lane highways are top priority for our government,
apparently to solve traffic congestion in the Kathmandu Valley. One of such projects is
widening of the Ring Road to eight lanes with Chinese assistance.

Building multi lane highways and flyovers is a recipe of disaster. As Penalosa said
building bigger roads would further aggravate the problem. It not only attracts more people to
use private vehicles for their daily mobility, but also discourage walking, cycling and using
public transport. Such projects deteriorate the livability of a city with increasing congestion,
pollution and road fatalities. Before building any transport infrastructure, we need to think
how we can make efficient use of the existing urban road space, while providing efficient
mobility to the people. We need to think whether the infrastructure and services are accessible
to everyone, more importantly to the poor, elderly, people with disabilities, pedestrians and
cyclists.

However, the roads are being designed and built only for those minorities of the urban
population who can afford cars. What about the rights of safer mobility who cannot afford to
ride cars? What about walking that has 40 percent of travel mode share? Planners are turning
a blind eye to those who walk or cycle. The same road space that has apparently established
democracy is itself undemocratically planned and unequally distributed. Urban roads are
perfect example of inequality and divided society we live in.

More needs to be done

Recently Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi came to Nepal and inaugurated the
Ring Road expansion project. The existing four-lane Ring Road from Kalanki to Koteshwor is
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being expanded to eight lanes with Chinese assistance. Moreover, the government is planning
to add three improved intersections along the stretch, supposedly to ease the traffic flow.
More than 1,600 trees along the 9.5 km stretch are being cut down to create space for
expansion. Hundreds of concerned citizens from Citizens for Trees and White Butterfly
Movement signed a petition calling on the authorities to save trees, redesign the road to six
lanes, and rethink the current urban transport policy. Despite this plea, the government and
Chinese contractors are likely to go ahead with the planned design.

While motor vehicles are to be provided with an eight-lane road, pedestrians and
cyclists are left with only 2.5 m of road space. Although Nepal Road Standard clearly says
that the sidewalks have to be at least 2.5 m wide for urban roads, the government has failed to
comply its own standards while designing roads. There is no clear design on how the
intersections and crossings will be provided for pedestrians and cyclists along the expanded
stretch. Building a cycle track without safer crossings would put cyclists into more vulnerable
position and discourage cycling. Three overhead bridges for pedestrians are said to be
provided in 9.5 km of the expanded stretch, which means a pedestrian has to walk as long as 3
km just to cross a few meters of the road. How would a child and differently-able people be
able to cross the street? We do not need the eight-lane road. The six-lane Ring Road would be
more than enough, in which two lanes can be exclusively provided for buses. The cycle track
and pedestrian way each should be provided with at least 2.5 m of right-of-way and
prioritized crossing.

No consultations with local communities were held and no public participation is

ensured while designing and planning the project.

In fact, the Nepal government itself has apparently no role in planning and implementing the
Ring Road expansion project. It is the reality that how our so-called development partners
provide their assistance in Nepal.

House Owners Decry Delay in Compensation Distribution

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 Sudhir Pradhan, a resident of Galkopakha, has been regularly visiting the office of
Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implementation Committee (KVTDIC), claiming
damages for his house that was partially demolished in the road expansion project. Nearly
eight months have passed, Pradhan said, and they have not provided me the
compensation.“Before the demolition, they had assured prompt relief complying with
government standards. Months have passed and we haven’t received a paisa” said Pradhan.

“We let them bulldoze our houses without any hesitation then. Now we are let down
by the authorities” Pradhan is among hundreds of people waiting the government
reimbursement. KVTDIC officials said that only one fourth of the houses demolished during
the road widening drive have received compensation so far, as the government has failed to
provide an adequate amount of fund.

“We have been receiving the fund in small instalments which is the major reason
behind this problem,” said Bhaikaji Tiwari,the chief of KVTDIC. It is estimated that the
authorities require Rs 1 billion to compensate the valley residents directly affected by the road
expansion drive. The government has only released Rs 250 million so far. Tiwari said Rs. 180
million was issued only recently. “We had requested for Rs 290 million, but received only Rs.
180 million, which is peanuts compared to the amount required for restitution.” he added.
Most of the people waiting for the compensation are those whose houses were partially
demolished during road expansion in the places like Gangobu, Galkopakha, Nayabazar,
Dillibazar and Bagbazar. Although the government has set Rs. 1,750 per square feet as
compensation rate, the mount could decrease based on the condition of the houses and their
construction date. For those whose entire houses were razed down as part of the road
widening Project, the government has announced to pay an additional 10 percent on the value
of the building as determined by the Revenue Department.“This is to help them re-establish
after the displacement. The provision will apply to only those houses meeting the government
standards.” said Tiwari. The road expansion drive launched two years ago has so far widened
170 km road in Kathmandu Valley out of which 138 km have been expanded in the Capital.
The plan is to expand 400 km of roads in the Valley.

Environmental impact in Road Expansion

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 More than 1000 trees along the Kalanki-Koteshwar section of the ring road are set to
be chopped down in a few days to expand the existing four lane roads to eight lanes. The
government of China has pledged to provide Rs. 3.7 billion for the widening of the 9 km
stretch that is set to begin in June. The District Forestry Office (DFO), Lalitpur and
Kathmandu have permitted the Department of Road (DoR), Lalitpur to cut down as many as
1,239 trees that were planted in the 70's. Hundreds of mimosa trees have been beatifying the
ring road area for around half a century now. But by the time the Kathmandu start missing
their beauty next year, around 500 mimosa trees are likely to be set in people´s home in the
form of furniture or doors and windows as the DFO will begin cutting down the trees from
Sunday. According to Assistant Forest Officer Lon Nath Timilsina of the DFO, Lalitpur the
permission letter to the DoR, Lalitpur would be sent on Friday. “We have estimated that total
23000 cubic feet of air space would be vacant after the trees are cut down,” said Timilsina. Of
the total, 8000 cubic feet space has been covered by the mimosa, when measured by the cord
unit, he added. The government had planted the trees, as per the green belt program after the
construction of the 27 km ring road, says Shyam Kharel, chief of Kathmandu Valley Road
Improvement Project (KVRIP). Both the forest offices of Kathmandu and Lalitpur would
provide technical assistance to the DoR to cut down the trees and manage them. But the
auctioning of the trees would be undertaken by the DoR. Meanwhile, the conservation
activists have warned of a stir if the government does not find an alternative to knocking
down the trees. Urban birds´ habitat in danger
with the authorities preparing to demolish the trees along the ring road, urban birds are set to
lose their habitats. According to Hem Sagar Baral, director of the Bird Conservation Nepal, as
many as 110 species of birds are found in Kathmandu. Among them, 100 species of birds
have been nesting in the Valley.

Baral said that the government must ensure that the trees would be replaced in the area
once the construction works are over. He also stressed that local tree species should be
planted in the area to protect our native vegetations. “Instead of newly introduced species
from foreign countries, the government must plant local trees such as Lapsi, Chilaune, Kattus
that would conserve our bio-diversity,” said Baral.

Stuck in traffic
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 In an unmanaged, haphazard city like Kathmandu, it is indeed very difficult to manage
traffic congestion. Although there may be many factors to shift blame on, candidly, there is
room for improvement. Looking at advanced models of traffic management around the world,
we can see that our way of managing the traffic is very underdeveloped.
Strategic management of traffic is required for a congested city like ours. Traffic snarls have
become a day to day problem in this city. Our roads are very accident prone and speed is
recognized as a major factor even by the experts that are responsible for managing traffic in
the city. The government has to take into consideration other factors such as road structures,
lane management and other similar issues. There are ways in which we can minimize road
accidents and improve the current traffic system. Speed cameras have to be implemented with
immediate effect. Heavy fines have to be imposed on those that violate traffic rules. The
revenue collected from speed fines, MaPaSe (consumption of alcoholic beverage) and other
such checks should go towards building the roads which are in a pathetic state at the moment.

The government is expanding roads at present. While constructing the roads, the
government has to build three lanes to minimize the prevalent problems of traffic jam. The
three lanes can be separated as low speed, medium speed and high speed. The health and
safety of the public has to be taken into consideration. Public vehicles such as buses should
not be allowed to divert into the high speed lane.

While in construction phase, the government has to make sure that construction does
not cause traffic jams. It is advisable for the government to construct roads at night when
there is less traffic as they do in the developed countries. For example, if water pipes are to be
laid underneath the roads, people that will be affected should be notified and the roads have to
be built overnight so that people will not have to suffer. Construction is also one of the major
factors that cause traffic congestion. I remember Nottingham City Council sending a letter
through the post informing me about construction on a road nearby. Couldn’t our government
do the same? The construction area has to be fenced so that dust particles do not flow around
and people don’t fall into holes. Construction materials have to be transported during the night
so that materials like bricks do not fall into the streets and on people’s heads.

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Urbanization is a population shift from rural to urban areas, "the gradual increase in the
proportion of people living in urban areas", and the ways in which each society adapts to the
change. It predominantly results in the physical growth of urban areas, be it horizontal or
vertical. Urbanization occurs as individual, commercial flight, social and governmental efforts
reduce time and expense in commuting and transportation and improve opportunities for jobs,
education, housing, and transportation. As population increased day by day, the space
decreased in a double rate. Road network which was enough before now is unable to hold the
capacity of such heavy vehicle. Therefore, to hold the population and needs, the roads had to
increase because of the increase in vehicle.

Nepal who experienced globalization and urbanization soon after it was exposed to global
market, has witnessed a drastic change in the population in its capital. This sudden growth in
population has a result in increased household and residency. Wherever land was possible,
houses have been built no matter of its size or reliability. Such kind of development had no
vision related to road and its widening in future.

As the city’s infrastructure was gradually being degraded by traffic jams, bottle necks, single
lanes, and congestion and narrow roads with houses encroaching on both the sides without
any space for expansion, the government of Nepal has a brand new idea to develop
Kathmandu city through magnificent roads. Now with the state, who has already formulated
this plan, Kathmandu Valley Town Development Committee (KVTDC) in collaboration with
Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) demolished roadside structures constructed
illegally on the encroached land.

When the road expansion drive kick-started in December 2011, the concerned authorities
failed to realize that it would lead to further deterioration of air quality in the valley, which
was already quite poor. Gokarna Mani Duwadee, joint secretary at MoSTE, agrees that the
road expansion has adversely affected public health by adding to pollution in the valley.
According to him, the road expansion unit needs to deal with the matter at the earliest. The air
quality monitoring stations located in Putalisadak, Bhaktapur, Thamel, Machhegaun, Kirtipur
and Patan were set up jointly by Danish International Development Agency and MoSTE. But
the air quality stations in Kirtipur and Patan have been out of order for more than five years,

15
reportedly due to budget constraints and unavailability of spare parts.
A study conducted between July 2011 and June 2012 and published in the first week of
December last year by the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC) showed that about 30 per
cent of school children were suffering from some sort of respiratory diseases, were sneezing
and had runny nose, even though they did not have cold or flu. As per NHRC, this could be
due to road expansion and construction work being carried out in the capital. The findings
were based on research conducted among 801 school children from six schools.

The major issue has always been that if compensation, to which Dr. Bhai Kaji Tiwari, the
town controller at KVTDC says,” expansion of roads is for the benefits of the residents and
we’ve planned the expansion for 400km within the valley. Compensation has been granted to
many in 1976-77, but due to a fire incident, we lost many of our records, due to which we are
re-compensating many”. He confirms that compensation is being offered in terms of
government evaluation of the property. “We have not demolished houses made as per
regulations while others are being compensated before being demolished. The expansion in
those areas will be carried out only after we assure and convince residents”.

KVTDC also informs that specific areas like Chabahil and Sinamangal are granted exception
from the demolition drive, as they were densely populated even when the expansion project
was initiated, making it difficult for the state to compensate the huge volume. Though this is
the first time the police department and government are involved and supportive, the trend of
resistance among some residents is a bit disheartening.
 The campaign to clear road encroachment has been backed by the Supreme Court (SC) too.
SC issued a verdict in favor of road expansion when land owners filed a writ against clearing
encroachment of structures between Maitighar and New Baneshwor.

Similarly, Bidya Banmali Pradhan, an atmospheric environment specialist at ICIMOD, says,

the drive has also affected the roadside vendors. “When people talk about pollution, they
usually only refer to the smoke emission from the vehicles, but the expansion drive has also
contributed in making matters worse,” she opines.

16
Bimal Rijal in his article, Current Road Expansion: 4 lanes to unsustainability, (2012)
describes how the current road expansion project undertaken by the government of Nepal to
“rescue” Kathmandu’s populace from the blight of traffic congestion is assuredly going to
prove counterproductive in the future. Having wider roads is only a temporary solution for
Kathmandu because wider roads invite more cars and eventually the roads are going to be
even more congested leading to even more intense traffic jams. Much of the current expansion
of roads for gas consuming vehicles has been at the expense of pedestrian footpath. By norm,
sidewalks alongside the roads need to be at least 2 meters wide. The new pedestrian sidewalks
are barely half of it. Additionally, availability of lesser space has nullified the possibility to
carry out plantations alongside the roads. 

While Nepal is not strong economically, it is benefiting directly from its good relations with
China and India in regard to infrastructure investment. And in spite of the changes of
leadership in Nepal, these relations with China and India have been maintained. This is
crucial as both of its giant neighbors' have been providing economic assistance as well as
technical expertise, input that is sorely needed. In addition Nepal also benefits from foreign
aid provided by the EU, Japan, and the Scandinavian nations, Switzerland, the UK and the
US.
Bimal Rijal in this article published in New Business Age Magazine (December, 2013) writes,
Kathmandu’s development should not be evaluated on the basis of whether or not we have
four lane roads. More important questions like are these roads going to increase traffic
mobility by reducing jams, how beneficial will the wider roads be to pedestrian, what air
quality will the people get to breath, and so on should be primarily asked and evaluated. The
present implementation of the road widening projects and the way the notion of development
is attached to it makes me skeptical about the understanding of the term among politicians and
city planners. 

The current road expansion project undertaken by the government of Nepal to “rescue”
Kathmandu’s populace from the blight of traffic congestion is assuredly going to prove
counterproductive in the future. Having wider roads is only a temporary solution for
Kathmandu because wider roads invite more cars and eventually the roads are going to be
even more congested leading to even more intense traffic jams. Much of the current expansion
17
of roads for gas consuming vehicles has been at the expense of pedestrian footpath. By norm,
sidewalks alongside the roads need to be at least 2 meters wide. The new pedestrian sidewalks
are barely half of it. Additionally, availability of lesser space has nullified the possibility to
carry out plantations alongside the roads. 

The effects of the road expansion: firstly, there are going to be more vehicles on the road
emitting more harmful gases than ever and thereby further degrading air quality. Secondly,
with no plans to improve mass transit in place, influx of more cars in the days ahead will
reduce the mobility of vehicles further. Thirdly, lack of modest pedestrian sidewalk will affect
mainly the working class, the senior citizens, and children walking back and forth from
school. This will force the pedestrians to walk on the roads and presumably increase road
accident frequency. Therefore, let alone the amelioration of living standard, wider roads are
only going to degrade an average man’s living standard in the next five years. So, can such a
project that increases pollution, worsens traffic problem, and puts the lives of senior citizens,
small children and the working class at risk be called a development project? The answer is
for the planners and the politicians to think of.

Nistha Rajmajhi in her article Kathmandu Valley's road construction: The rationale behind the
holdup published in Republica (2013) shares about people’s perspective in the delay of road
construction. She remarks,” as the road expansion project was initiated, there were many
roadside houses that had to be demolished along with the sidewalks. Though it was intended
for the smooth flow of traffic, it has resulted in more chaos due to the mismanagement of
debris on the roadside and wrecked footpaths. Many houses have been rebuilt but most
structures still remain in the same state. As most of the roads have been left unattended, the
situation has not only made the city aesthetically unappealing but has created havoc for
pedestrians and drivers.”

She also describes about the impacts of dust and pollution on health. According to Nistha,
due to the demolition of roads for expansion, people have been forced to endure dust and
pollution in many city areas of the Kathmandu Valley.

With the expansion of roads all over Kathmandu city, the local household which resides the
road now faces a huge loss. Local teashops that made rupees 2,000 per day don’t seem to have
18
customers because of the traffic control. Bhaikaji Tiwari, chief of the Kathmandu Valley
Town Development Implementation Committee, is not surprised that roadside businesses
have been hit by the road expansion. He warns that the same is going to happen to street
vendors along the Kathmandu Valley’s ring road after the road widening project has
completed. With railings on either side of the road, no one can park their vehicles onto the
shoulder of the road to step inside shops to make purchase, or stop for tea and snacks.

On the second side of this coin, people are benefitting a lot from road expansion. For some,
the enlargement in the road is providing them with healthier ransom amount to sustain their
living. As the road is bigger, more people are attracted towards the road which automatically
has brought a great deal in the economy of the country. The rent of particular flat or room has
even more value.

For some, there is consolation from road expansion, as there is decline in road accidents.
People feel safe to cross the roads as they are broad and can have a far sight.

UNDP Human Development Report 2015

2015 marks 25 years since the first Human Development Report introduced a new approach
for advancing human wellbeing. Human development – or the human development approach -
is about expanding the richness of human life, rather than simply the richness of the economy
in which human beings live. It is an approach that is focused on people and their opportunities
and choices.

People: human development focuses on improving the lives people lead rather than assuming
that economic growth will lead, automatically, to greater wellbeing for all. Income growth is
seen as a means to development, rather than an end in itself.

Opportunities: human development is about giving people more freedom to live lives they
value. In effect this means developing people’s abilities and giving them a chance to use
them. For example, educating a girl would build her skills, but it is of little use if she is denied
access to jobs, or does not have the right skills for the local labor market. Three foundations
for human development are to live a long, healthy and creative life, to be knowledgeable, and
to have access to resources needed for a decent standard of living. Many other things are
19
important too, especially in helping to create the right conditions for human development.
Once the basics of human development are achieved, they open up opportunities for progress
in other aspects of life.

Choice: human development is, fundamentally, about more choice. It is about providing

people with opportunities, not insisting that they make use of them. No one can guarantee
human happiness, and the choices people make are their own concern. The process of
development – human development - should at least create an environment for people,
individually and collectively, to develop to their full potential and to have a reasonable chance
of leading productive and creative lives that they value.

Since, for some Development is more about improving the lives of the people rather than
assuming that economic growth will lead to well-being of all, the government of Nepal
believes that this infrastructure development will erase all the problem of people and bring
well-being into the society. Officials responsible say they don’t have a blueprint for a future
Kathmandu. Most of them say they are doing only what they were instructed. “We don’t
know the post-reconstruction face of the city. We are only doing the job assigned to us
following set standards and simple engineering sketches,” says Gopal Khadka of the
Kathmandu Road Division at the Department of Roads. While the authorities are discussing
on a regular basis the future of the expansion, there are some officials who aren’t satisfied
with the overall formulation and implementation of the plans. They said too many authorities
were involved, resulting in the mess. Keshav Sthapit, commissioner of the Kathmandu Valley
Development Authority, says the construction is in jeopardy. “We haven’t developed anything
of a future plan,” laments Sthapit. “Meetings have been worthless as nothing related to the
city’s future plan has been discussed.” 

20
 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHODS

Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be

understood as science of studying how research is done scientifically. In it, we study the
various steps that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying his research problem
along with the logic, behind them (Kothari, 1990).

3.1 Study Area

The study area for this research is the catchment areas of the expanded roads. The study area
also focused on effect of road expansion on the local peoples. The survey was carried out in
the lalitpur district mostly in the Balkumari, Gorkhu, Imadol, Satdobato and Mahalaxmisthan
area. The major respondent in this research are local households.

3.2 Research Design

The research has followed the descriptive as well as explorative research design as it has
intended to know the conditions of expanded road and its impact on local people.

3.3 Nature of Data

In this study quantitative and qualitative data have been used. The necessary information has
been collected both from primary and secondary sources. The primary data has been collected
using questionnaire.

3.4 Universe and Sampling Method

The universes of the study were the local households of lalitpur area where road have been
expanded i.e. Balkumari to Mahalaxmisthan in ring road and some area of Imadol.

The research followed the purposive sampling of non-probability sampling method to collect
unbiased data. Sample size of this research is 75.

21
3.5 Data Collection Technique

Tools and techniques for data collection were:

Data Collection Method

Primary Data Secondary Data

 Observation  Books

 Questionnaire  News articles

 Reports

 Journals
 The information from the key respondents is collected using the set of questionnaire.

 The information from the key informants was gathered through close ended
questionnaire schedule.

3.6 Methods of Data Presentation

The methods for the data presentation were graphical format. And, Manual Method
was used for the process coding of data. MS- Excel was used to analyze and prepare
graphical representation of processed data.

22
 Chapter IV

Data Analysis

The following survey was conducted to gain an insight on "Effect of road expansion on local
households; lalitpur district".

4.1 Survey Area

75
70
65
60
55
Number of Respondent's

50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Balkumari Gorkhu Satdobato Mahalaxmisthan Imadol

Figure 4. 1 Survey Area

Source: Field survey 2015

From the field survey 2015 it was found that 20 percent of the respondents have been
involved in survey from each area. i.e. 20 percent from Balkumari, 20 percent from Gorkhu,
20 percent from Satdobato, 20 percent from Mahalaxmisthan and 20 percent from Imadol.

4.2 View towards road expansion

23
 1% 7%

92%

A good Step Was an inconvinience for people

Was not necessary Other alternative should be used

Figure 4. 2 View towards road expansion

Source: Field survey 2015

The above pie chart displays that in the lalitpur area 92 percent of respondent's found road
expansion a good step where as 7 percent felt it was unnecessary and 1 percent found it as
inconvenience for the people.

24
4.3 Road expansion brought any changes in your area

75
70
65
60
55
50
Number of Respondent's

45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Yes No

Figure 4. 3 Road expansion brought any changes in your area

Source: Field survey 2015

The above column chart displays that 100 percent respondents said that road expansion have
brought changes in their locality.

25
4.4 Must benefited by road expansion

75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
berofRespondent's

30
25
20
Num

15
10
5
0
Owner of roadside People Who have Pedestrians Street Vendors Roadside shops
building rented the
buildings/land

Figure 4. 4 Must benefited by road expansion

Source: Field survey 2015

From the field survey 2015 it was found that 88 percent respondent said that owner of
roadside buildings are must benefited by road expansion where as 4 percent, 7 percent and 1
percent respondent said people who have rented the buildings/land, pedestrians and roadside
shops are benefited respectively.

26
4.5 Must affected by road expansion

75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
berofRespondent

30
25
20
Num

15
10
5
0
Owner of roadside People Who have Pedestrians Street Vendors Roadside shops
building rented the
buildings/land

Figure 4. 5 Must affected by road expansion

Source: Field survey 2015

From the field survey 2015 it was found that 33 percent respondent said that owner of
roadside buildings are must affected by road expansion where as 3 percent, 32 percent, 1
percent and 31 percent respondent said people who have rented the buildings/land,
pedestrians, street vendors and roadside shops are benefited respectively.

27
4.6 Noticed changes during road expansion

Other

Unnecessary destruction

Development in infrastructure

  Big road with less traffic problems

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75

Figure 4. 6 Noticed changes during road expansion

Source: Field survey 2015

Above diagram illustrates that 14 percent of the respondents observed big road with less
traffic problems, 79 percent respond as development in infrastructure and finally 7 percent
respondents viewed it as unnecessary destruction.

4.7 Rates of accidents

28
 28%

Yes
  No

72%

Figure 4. 7 Rates of accidents

Source: Field survey 2015

The above pie chart displays that 28 percent respondents said accidents have not increased by
road expansion where 72 percent respondent said the cause of accidents are road expansion
too.

29
4.8 Impact on the natural resources

Chart Title

  No

Yes

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75

Figure 4. 8 Impact on the natural resources

Source: Field survey 2015

Above diagram illustrates that 80 percent of the respondents observed impact in natural
resources during road expansion and 20 percent said that there is not any impact in natural
resources.

30
4.9 Impact on cultural heritage

75
70
65
60
55
50
berofRespondent's

45
40
35
30
Num

25
20
15
10
5
0
   Yes     No

Figure 4. 9 Impact on cultural heritage

Source: Field survey 2015

The above column chart displays that 20 percent respondents said that road expansion have
brought impact on cultural heritage and 80 percent view was there was not any impact in
cultural heritage.

31
4.10 Affected property by road expansion

20%

Yes
  No

80%

Figure 4. 10 Affected property by road expansion

Source: Field survey 2015

The above pie chart displays that in the lalitpur area 20 percent of respondent's property have
been affected by road expansion where as 80 percent respondents property have not been
affected.

4.11 Aware about the rules

32
 75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
NumberofRespondent's

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
    Yes     No

Figure 4. 11 Aware about the rules

Source: Field survey 2015

The above column chart displays that 67 percent respondents are aware about the rules of
building houses near by the road where as 33 percent respondents were unaware about the
rules.

33
4.12 Followed rules while building house

    No

   Yes

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75

Figure 4. 12 Followed rules while building house

Source: Field survey 2015

Above diagram illustrates that 80 percent of the respondents followed rules while building
their house where as 20 percent did not follow rules.

34
4.13 Families living in rent

    1 family   2 families    3 families More than 3 families

17%
7%

33%

43%

Figure 4. 13 Families living in rent

Source: Field survey 2015

The above pie chart displays that 17 percent households have 1 family, 43 percent households
have 2 families, 33 percent households have 3 families and 7 percent households have more
than 3 families living in rent.

35
4.14 Challenges faced by tenants

75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
35
berofRespondent's

30
25
20
15
Num

10
5
0
  Had to shift place   Children faced    Problem to reach   Problem to reach
problem in study due workplace school for children
to construction work (difficulty in travel)

Figure 4. 14 Challenges faced by tenants

Source: Field survey 2015

The above column chart displays that 15 percent renter had to shift the place, 29 percent
renter's children faced problem in study due to construction work, 31 percent renter faced
problem to reach workplace on time and 25 percent renter's children faced problem to reach
school on time.

36
4.15 Financial loss on rent

29%

   Yes
  No

71%

Figure 4. 15 Financial loss on rent

Source: Field survey 2015

The above pie chart displays that in the lalitpur area 29 percent respondent bear financial loss
on rent and rest 71 percent did not face any financial loss on rent due to road expansion.

37
4.16 Received Compensation

75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
berofRespondent's

35
30
25
Num

20
15
10
5
0
  Yes No Neutral

Figure 4. 16 Received Compensation

Source: Field survey 2015

The above column chart displays that out of 75 respondents 10 respondents received
compensation, 5 respondents did not received compensation and 60 respondents did not
answer to this question.

38
4.17 Satisfied with the received compensation or procedure of receiving compensation

75
70
65
60
55
50
45
40
Number ofRespondent's

35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Yes No Neutral

Figure 4. 17 : Satisfied with the received compensation or procedure of receiving

compensation

Source: Field survey 2015

The above column chart displays that out of 75 respondents 5 respondents are satisfied with
the received compensation, 10 respondents are not satisfied with the received compensation
and 60 respondents did not answer to this question.

39
4.18 Affected groups by health problem

27%

43%

    Children
    Youth
    Adult
   Old age

20% 11%

Figure 4. 18 Affected groups by health problem

Source: Field survey 2015

The above pie chart displays that in the lalitpur area 42 percent children, 11 percent youth, 20
percent adult and 27 percent Old age people were affected by health problem due to the road
expansion.

40
4.19 Common health problem

What was the common health problem noticed in your

area?
7%

    Eye problem

36%     Skin problem
    Respiratory problem
    Other
40%

17%

Figure 4. 19 Common health problem

Source: Field survey 2015

The above pie chart displays that in the lalitpur area 36 percent eye problem, 17 percent skin
problem, 40 percent respiratory problem and 7 percent other are considered as the common
health problem noticed in that area.

4.20 Water problem

41
     No

  Yes

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75

Figure 4. 20 Water problem

Source: Field survey 2015

Above diagram illustrates that out of 75 respondents 58 respondents faced water problem
during road expansion and 17 respondents did not face water problem during road expansion.

42
4.21 Electricity problem

24%

Yes
No

76%

Figure 4. 21 Electricity problem

Source: Field survey 2015

The above pie chart displays that in the lalitpur area 76 percent faced electricity problem
where as 24 percent did not faced any electricity problem.

43
4.22 Drainage problem

75

65

55

45
Number of Respondent's

35

25

15

Yes No
-5

Figure 4. 22 Drainage problem

Source: Field survey 2015

The above column chart displays that out of 75 respondents 48 respondents faced drainage
problem where as 27 did not faced any drainage problem during road expansion.

44
 CHAPTER V

MAJOR FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The general objective of the research was to find out the effect of road expansion on the local
households of lalitpur area. The researcher visited five different area of lalitpur district where
road have been expanded and interacted with 75 respondents. Roadside houses of Balkumari
area, Gorkhu area, Satdobato area, Imadol area and Mahalaxmisthan area are the universe of
this research. Close ended questionnaire was used for the collection of the data and different
kinds of selected secondary materials were used to analyze the research objective more
specifically. This chapter presents the major findings of the research work along with the
recommendations for parents and service holders.

5.1 Summary of Major Findings

1. It was found that 20 percent of the respondents have been involved in survey from
each area. i.e. Balkumari, Gorkhu, Satdobato, Mahalaxmisthan and Imadol.
2. In the lalitpur area, 92 percent of respondent's found road expansion as a good step
where as 7 percent felt it was unnecessary and 1 percent found it as inconvenience for
the people.
3. 88 percent respondent said that owner of roadside buildings are must benefited by road
expansion where as 4 percent, 7 percent and 1 percent respondent said people who
have rented the buildings/land, pedestrians and roadside shops are benefited
respectively.
4. 33 percent respondent said that owner of roadside buildings are must affected by road
expansion where as 3 percent, 32 percent, 1 percent and 31 percent respondent said
people who have rented the buildings/land, pedestrians, street vendors and roadside
shops are benefited respectively.
5. 80 percent of the respondents observed impact in natural resources during road
expansion and 20 percent said that there is not any impact in natural resources.
6. 20 percent of respondent's property has been affected by road expansion where as 80
percent respondent's property has not been affected.

45
 7. 67 percent respondents are aware about the rules of building houses near by the road
where as 33 percent respondents were unaware about the rules.
8. 15 percent renter had to shift the place, 29 percent renter's children faced problem in
study due to construction work, 31 percent renter faced problem to reach workplace on
time and 25 percent renter's children faced problem to reach school on time.
9. Rented houses have been vacant due to dust during construction so owner had
financial loss through that reason.
10. Compensation has been received but was not adequate as per the market valuation.
11. Health related problems were seen in many people during road construction.
12. Various difficulties were bear by people during road expansion in daily life. Some of
the problems were problem of drinking water, problem of electricity, drainage
problem, traffic problems, etc.

5.2 Conclusion

The research on the topic, Effects of road expansion on local households; Lalitpur District
is done because we all have been a part of and have experienced it. This government policy
and implementation has affected larger number of people in Lalitpur District as most of the
roads have been left unattended, the situation has not only made the city aesthetically
unappealing but has created havoc for pedestrians and drivers.

Nonetheless, moaning and grumbling during this work-in-progress is pretty much acceptable.
The bumpy rides from one place to another, difficulty in walking due to negligent falling and
placement of stones and mud all over, and ditches have made it extremely difficult to
commute. Disturbances in telephone, television, electricity and internet services due to the
digging and dumping has been posing another problem. 

The carelessness of government and the tolerance level of the locals have gone too far. This
attitude needs a special attention and government still needs improvement in policy planning
rather than building castles in the air. The effect of destruction in the name of development
has gone beyond than imagination. When it is hard for people to earn Rs. 1000/- who once
earned
46
Rs. 2000 per day, the government still has to question on their development strategy and
answer them without hesitation.

Rather than bringing a new city, reports indicate that instead of reducing poverty, the plan
designed to boost the local economy exacerbates poverty by promoting differential access to
credits for struggling ‘inauthentic’ businesses as well as displacing the poor while
aesthetically improving the area. 

Summarizing this research, road widening project was a necessity but let’s not deny the fact
that people have been affected by this expansion and destruction!

5.3 Recommendation

From every tea shop to bus stand, people love talking about how the houses have been
broken down because we all have been a part of this development process. This entire idea of
expanding the roads for a better traffic management finally sounded like a great initiative by
the Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, something nobody else had dared do before but this
high vision expansion plan, however, still has many flaws. For this, I would like to
recommend few things to the government as well as our fellow citizen of the nation.

1. Before the demolition, the government had assured prompt relief complying with
government standards. Months have passed and people haven’t received a rupee by the
government as compensation. When the locals are allowing to bull doze their houses
without any hesitation, the government should be equally responsible to view the
citizen’s problems as like one of their own.
2. This is what the government has built is: capitals first disabled non-friendly road.
We never know which vehicle passing by would run over through any pedestrian. Is
that what we were all hoping for? I would like to recommend the government to be
more sensitive towards all these people. Development means inclusion of all people no
matter of what they are or how they are. If this road development has no place for
these people, then whom are we developing for? So, let’s also make space for them.

47
3. The road doesn’t have space for cyclist. Are not they a part of the road? I would like to
recommend the government that their planning should be more concrete and involve
all the users of the road.
4. The government’s drive to demolish old roads for expansion is still underway. But the
patience level of citizens is declining everyday as the road obstruction has largely
hampered their daily lives. Since there seem to be no respite to this situation, the
citizens are hoping and waiting for the government to speed up the progress of road
reconstruction so that their lives can go back to normal. If the plan can be made so
fast, I would like to recommend the workers to work fast.
5. Talking the talk is so frequent but walking the walk is so rare. Rather than talking,
criticizing and fighting, it is important that policy makers focus more on what has
implemented but yet not completed.
6. I would like to recommend our fellow citizen to take precautions while travelling
through road because exposure to dust particles may equally affect people the same
way as passive smokers may get affected. Prolonged exposure to dust can even
shorten one’s lifespan. So it’s very important to take precautions. This doesn’t apply to
citizen only. This issue needs to felt by the officials and start working to stabilize the
environment and make it cleaner and greener.

48
 ANNEX-1
Survey Questionnaire
Basic Information

Name (optional): …………………………………

Sex
a) Male b) Female
Age
a) 15-25 years b) 25-35 years c)35-45 years d)45-55 years
e) 55 above years

1) Address
a) Balkumari, Lalitpur b) Gorkhu, Lalitpur c) Satdobato, Lalitpur
d) Mahalaxmisthan, Lalitpur e) Other…………………………..

2) What is your view towards road expansion?

a) a good step
b) was an inconvenience for people
c) was not necessary
d) Other alternative should be used ………………………..

3) Did road expansion bring any changes in your area?

a) Yes
b) No

3.1) If Yes, what?

a) Better road condition
b) High traffic
c) Noise pollution
d) Other…………………………

General Perspective

4) Who do you see most benefited by this road expansion?

a) Owner of roadside building (locals)
b) People who have rented the buildings/land
c) Pedestrians
d) Street Vendors
e) Roadside shops

5) Who do you see most affected by this road expansion?

a. Owner of roadside building (locals)

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 b. People who have rented the buildings/land
c. Pedestrians
d. Street Vendors
e. Roadside shops

6) What changes did you noticed during road expansion?

a) Big road with less traffic problems
b) Development in infrastructure
c) Unnecessary destruction
d) Other………………….

7) During road expansion do you feel that accidental rates are increased?
a. Yes
b. No

7.1) If Yes, why?

a) Inconvenient road condition
b) Due to the construction materials in road
c) Carelessness of road user
d) Lack of proper traffic control

7.2) If No, why?

a) Minimization of vehicle pressure in road due to road expansion
b) Proper traffic control
c) Road user are more careful while using road
d) Accident news are less during road expansion

8) Have you noticed any impact on the natural resources due to the road expansion?
a) Yes
b) No

8.1) If yes, what?

a) Trees
b) River
c) Public Parks
d) Other…………….

9) Have you noticed any impact on the cultural heritage due to the road expansion?
a. Yes
b. No

9.1) If yes, what?

a) Demolish of temples
b) Demolish of old architect
c) Demolish of Stone Tap
d) Others…………………..
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 Property

10) Did your property get affected by road expansion?

a) Yes
b) No

10.1) If yes, what?

a) House
b) Property premises wall
c) Land
d) Rented property or property in lease
e) Other ……………………………………….

11) Were you aware about the rules of building houses near by the roads?
a) Yes
b) No

12) Did you follow the rule of building houses when you built your house?
a) Yes
b) No

12.1) If no, what were things you didn’t follow?

a) Didn’t leave space for road
b) Some portion of house was built in government’s land
c) Was built before I knew about the rules
d) Others…………………….

13) How many families were living in rent in your house?

a) 1 family
b) 2 families
c) 3 families
d) More than 3 families ………….

14) What challenges they faced due to road expansion as well as reconstruction of affected
house?
a) Had to shift place
b) Children faced problem in study due to construction work
c) Problem to reach workplace
d) Problem to reach school for children (difficulty in travel)

15) Did you face any economical loss from the rent?
a) Yes
b) No

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 15.1) If yes, how much loss did you face?
a) Rs.5000-Rs.10000
b) Rs.11000-Rs.20000
c) Rs.21000-Rs.30000
d) Rs.30000 above ………………..

16) Did you receive any compensation of your loss property or affected property?
a) Yes
b) No

17) Are you satisfied with the received compensation or procedure of receiving
compensation?
a) Yes
b) No

17.1) If no, why

a) Compensation was not equivalent to your property
b) Have not received yet
c) Procedure is lengthy
d) Other ……………………………….

18) Have you gone through any legal justice process for the compensation?
a) Yes
b) No

18.1) If no, why?

a) Don’t know regarding the legal procedure
b) Don’t have legal document of property
c) Waste of time (long legal justice procedure)
d) Others……………………

Health

19) Was there any health related problem seen in you during and after road expansion?
a) Yes
b) No

19.1) If yes, what?

a) Eyes problem
b) Skin problem
c) Respiratory problem
d) Other …………………………

20) Who was mostly affected by health problem due to the road expansion?
a) Children
b) Youth
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 c) Adult
d) Old age

21) What was the common health problem noticed in your area?
a) Eye problem
b) Skin problem
c) Respiratory problem
d) Other …………………………

Everyday activity

22) What inconvenience did you face due to road expansion?

a) Traffic problem
b) Road problem
c) Time management
d) Other………………………..

23) Have you ever been late for your work and school/colleges due to construction activity of
road expansion?
a) Yes
b) No

23.1) If yes, because of?

a) Long traffic
b) Inconvenient condition of road
c) Dust
d) Other…………………

24) Did you face any water problem due to the road expansion?
a) Yes
b) No

24.1) If yes, what?

a) Pipeline was broken during road construction
b) Not proper co-ordination among road division and water supply corporation
c) Negligence of the construction company during construction work
d) Negligence of the water supply corporation to fix the problem
e) Other……………………

25) Did you face any electricity problem due to the road expansion?
a) Yes
b) No

25.1) If yes, what?

53
 a) Electricity poles were broken during road construction
b) Not proper co-ordination among road division and electricity corporation
c) Negligence of the construction company during construction work
d) Negligence of the electricity corporation to fix the problem
e) Other……………………

26) Did you face any drainage problem due to the road expansion?
a) Yes
b) No

26.1) If yes, what?

a) Drainage and Sewage system was affected during road construction
b) Not proper co-ordination among road division and drainage management
department
c) Negligence of the construction company during construction work
d) Negligence of the drainage management department to fix the problem
e) Other……………………

54
 References

 Koirala, Sneha ,"Road expansion — will it give Kathmandu a facelift?",The

Himalayan Times, 21 Jan, 2012
 Nepal 1999, 51 p. Dessertation 20001006 Class. No.: 388.1/K829a/D
 Nepal 1983-VI,93p, 940118 Class. No.:625.734/In7r/N
 Road Maintenance and Development Project Institutional Strengthening Component IDA
Credit No. 3293-NEP, Government of Nepal Ministry of Physical Planning and Works
Department of Roads
 Impact of road expansion projects on the informal sector in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria Mary
AJAYI, Babajide OJO, Michael OLUKOLAJO and Abiodun OYETUNJI Nigeria
 Raymajhi, Nistha "Kathmandu Valley's road construction: The rationale behind the
holdup." Published in Republica 2013-12-13
 BHATTARAI, BINIT Capital City Kathmandu getting improved with expansion
of road, DECEMBER 20, 2013
 Business Age Magazine (December, 2013)
 Online Journals (www.walkeasyktm.com)

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