Ministries themselves can also create structures for collaboration among themselves or seek ways to coordinate informally. The Council of Ministers itself can also create a mechanism for coordination and cooperation through some means. There can be many solutions but it is necessary to strive for positive results.
In big cities including Kathmandu, an incongruous phenomenon continues to appear - one body has just completed its plan, the other body moves ahead with the plan to the detriment of it. An incident similar to this trend took place on Wednesday in the Babarmahal area of Kathmandu.
During the extension of the underground line by the Nepal Electricity Authority through a contract, a 20-inch thick DI pipe of the Melamchi water supply project burst, causing water to flow continuously on the road for four hours. Due to the wasted 3 million liters of water, district court, roads, forests and other government buildings as well as settlements were flooded.
In addition to Babarmahal, Meenbhavan, Anamnagar and surrounding areas, the water supply service has been stopped. The road was washed away. The surroundings froze. In this process, three entities related to water supply, electricity and roads are connected. The Electricity Authority has already started to repair the damage in Babarmahal. After some time, the situation there is going to return to the old rhythm. However, this incident highlights the need to make inter-agency coordination mandatory.
is the latest reference to damage to the structure of the water supply project due to the work of the Electricity Authority. Earlier, the road was damaged during the laying of pipes under the Melamchi project. In urban areas where minor development works are going on regularly, the work of one causes damage to the other. This has become such a regular occurrence that it seems that the concerned bodies and the benefited class are getting used to it. Everything is sold in a momentary discussion. No one is held accountable to anyone. Ministers have said in their speeches that a law related to utility corridors will be introduced. This topic is also included in the policy and program. However, the law has not been made.
is going on in the urban area at the discretion of different agencies. As a result, the sight of downed electricity and telecommunication wires, fallen electricity poles, broken sewers, swollen pavement tiles, broken roads, and leaking water pipes is visible everywhere in the city. When one body does not have any sensitivity towards the work of another body, it sometimes causes unnatural damage.
road sections tend to be winding. Budget and labor have already been spent to bring the work back to its original form and should be spent again. Services and facilities available to people are interrupted. If the road is dug up and abandoned, you have to suffer from dust or mud. Due to the need to dig a pit that is dug once in coordination, the budget and labor are also spent many times.
Although there is no reliable data based on systematic studies, if there is inter-agency coordination and cooperation, it can be estimated that the state will save a lot of money, which can be used elsewhere. Development, construction and maintenance work is also sustainable and efficient. On the other hand, complaints are also heard that due to the obstruction of one agency, the work of another agency is stopped. As a result, there is a delay in getting the service that is needed immediately.
The various existing laws also have the concept of coordination and cooperation. However, it does not appear to be binding. That is why there is a need for utility corridor laws to coordinate the regular construction and maintenance work in urban areas. Coordination and cooperation can be binding and effective when bound by law.
This kind of law should be given priority as it is a matter that has been made public by ministers and has been included in the government's policies and programs. However, before the law is made, coordination measures can be found by forming a mechanism between different agencies. Or, the ministries themselves can create structures for collaboration among themselves or seek ways to coordinate informally. The Council of Ministers itself can also create a mechanism for coordination and cooperation through some means. There can be many solutions but it is necessary to strive for positive results.
