Illegal petrol pumps on public roads

The Zilla Sabha has drawn attention to the fact that this pump, which has not yet come into operation, falls under the 'write off way' criteria of the highway.

This pump was built because of the permission given by the Lokmarg Project Office. But it is not in the standard because it is next to the road. Kalpana Adhikari, head of Lokmarg Project Office Parbat, claimed to have built the pump with permission. She said that permission was given to build on the side of the road. "We have left the road side criteria and allowed them to be built," said the official, "all criteria are not possible in the hilly areas." But the coordination committee's monitoring showed that the pump was built at the place where the black sheet of the road touched.

Four years ago, the river here was buried by the flood. After the black-paved road was also completed, vehicles now pass through the low ditch. But this pump has been built on the grounds that there is no traffic on the main road. The structure has been prepared in such a way that you have to go through the main road line to fill the oil in the pump. While still compounding, the pump has been brought to the line where the vehicle is currently running.

The joint district assembly of the head and deputy head of all the ten local levels of the district and the officials of the district coordination committee has decided to send a written notice to the concerned body as the pump is against the standard.

After the national highway, Madhyapahari's own standard gazette was not published, so they could not remove the structures built on people's land, the official said. But Assistant Chief District Officer Chitrangat Baral claimed that if the project is not gazetted, the Road Act will be attracted.

"The basic policy of all road projects is the Road Act, whatever it says is the standard of the road," Baral said.

Madhyapahari Lokmarg is a project of national pride. Currently, vehicles from Rukum West, Jajarkot, Rolpa and Rukum East are plying on this road to Pokhara and Kathmandu. The road here is narrow. In the process of widening, it is necessary to reach the pump itself. A technician said that even though there is no plan for immediate repair, the structure has been made in such a way that it will be difficult for the Public Road Project Office to work on this route.

Apart from that, another pump is being built near Badigad Rural Municipality. That too is within the standard of 15 meters for leaving the right and left side of the road. "The standard of at least 25 meters is applied to public roads, but it was seen that they were built on the road," District Coordination Chief Amar Thapa said He said that he warned about the possibility of demolition.

Nar Bahadur Sahani, director of Galkot Seva Samiti petrol pump, said that he worked with permission. "We have taken permission, but now they have come and said that the standards are not met," Sahani said, "There has been a huge investment, we need to discuss how to work together." Basant Bhandari, another member of his group, admitted that the standard was not met. "Even the problem of geography does not meet the standard here," he said, "it would be better to find an alternative way." Prabha Hotel is operating here on the upper floor of the pump which is connected to the road. Baglung municipality did not even pass the map of the house where the pump and the hotel are located due to the violation of the standards. Director Haribabu Sapkota has claimed that the old pump has been kept intact. Although the pump was opened here in 2052, the building was demolished three years ago and the pump was placed with a new house.

New Dhrub Enterprises located in the headquarters is operating in the same condition. Thapa said that the risk has increased due to the inability to regulate the pumps after the new standards. Thapa informed that the pump road that was going to be constructed recently in Burtiwang Bazar was found to be in the standard of the area during the monitoring of the committee and it was suggested to manage it.