Gandaki Province Amends Road Act to Spare Older Structures from Demolition During Expansion

Pokhara. Old houses falling under the standards during road expansion within the Gandaki Province will no longer be demolished. The Gandaki Province has amended the Road Act to create a law that prevents the demolition of old houses.

The provincial government is moving to legally arrange that old houses and permanent structures built before the enactment of the Gandaki Province Road Act, 2081, will not be demolished by amending the Act.

On Monday, during the meeting of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly, Prakash Bahadur KC, Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development and Transport Management, presented the first amendment bill to the Road Act. After a theoretical discussion on the bill, it has been sent to the parliamentary committee for further deliberation.

The Road Act, enacted last year, specified the right-of-way limits for provincial highways and provincial roads, and the required setback distance for construction from the road. However, as the Act appeared to encompass older houses, residents of old and densely populated areas like Damuli, Bhorletar, and Byas had been complaining that they would be displaced. The government amended the Act after the Supreme Court also ordered that road expansion should only proceed with the consent of the citizens or after providing appropriate compensation.

"Citizens should not be displaced in the name of development. We have brought this amendment respecting the citizens' right to property and housing," said Minister KC. Clause 24 (A) has been added to the original Act. It states that road standards will not apply to buildings and permanent structures constructed before the enactment of the Act. This means that only newly constructed houses will have to comply with the specified standards.

Words such as the Directorate of Infrastructure Development and Director, which were previously abolished by the provincial government, have been removed from the Act, which is expected to make administrative work clearer and more streamlined. Participating in the discussion, the lawmakers thanked the government for its work. Ashok Kumar Shrestha stated that the government has adopted a practical approach by amending the Act in a timely manner.

Another lawmaker, Resham Jugjali, noted that the government made the right decision by listening to the Supreme Court's precedent and the voice of the people. He suggested that the issue of compensation should also be clarified further. RPP lawmaker Bindu Poudel stated that development achieved by making people homeless is inappropriate and that the amendment will provide great relief to the people. There is a 72-hour window to register amendment proposals for further changes to the Act.