Kathmandu, October 2
Lawmakers drew the government’s attention during the zero hour of the National Assembly meeting on Friday to damaged roads and bridges and disruptions to daily life caused by continuous rainfall across the country.
They sought answers from the government over the hardships faced by people as transport services remained disrupted on the eve of major festivals such as Dashain and Tihar.
Lawmakers prominently raised the impact of floods in the Bhotekoshi and Mahakali rivers and damage to road infrastructure in various parts of the country.
Lawmaker Gomadevi Timilsina drew the government’s attention to containers swept away by the Bhotekoshi flood and cargo vehicles stranded at the Korala border point in Mustang. She called for roads to be repaired and relief to be provided to traders.
Similarly, lawmaker Jagat Bahadur Parki called for the immediate reconstruction of a damaged suspension bridge in Dodhara Chandani, Kanchanpur, saying more than 50,000 people had been deprived of access to the bridge.
Speaking on infrastructure, lawmaker Nar Bahadur Bista sought a clear response from the government over the Baddichaur-Kholighate road, which he said had remained incomplete for seven years. He also questioned the contractor’s negligence and the disruption of road networks during the festive season.
Lawmaker Rajendralaxmi Gaire expressed concern over damage to bridges along the Kaligandaki Corridor and to farmers’ paddy crops and urged the government to introduce a compensation package.
During the meeting, lawmaker Madankumari Shah objected to a statement attributed to Prime Minister Balen Shah. She said Shah’s claim that Indian territory had also encroached on Nepal’s land was false and against national pride, and demanded that the statement be removed from the parliamentary record.
Lawmaker Suresh Kumar Ale Magar called for the date and month to be included when Nepal Sambat is listed on the National Assembly’s agenda. He also urged the government to speed up repairs of damaged roads ahead of the festivals.
