Nepal's Road Safety Lagging Behind Developing Nations, Says Ministry Secretary

Kathmandu. Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Gopal Prasad Sigdel, has admitted that Nepal's road safety situation is even behind developing countries. Speaking at a meeting of the Infrastructure Development Committee under the House of Representatives on Tuesday, he stated that the lack of necessary laws for road safety and delays in the law-making process have made it difficult to make this sector effective. Secretary Sigdel informed that the government is preparing to table the 'Road Safety Bill' in the current session of parliament to systematize road safety. This bill, which was prepared earlier, was stalled due to government changes, but it is now being revised and updated before presentation. He also clarified that the road safety policy is in the final stages of discussion and will be submitted for approval soon. The ministry plans to form a powerful 'Road Safety Council' once the act is implemented, which will handle all responsibilities and jurisdiction related to road safety. In the meeting, Secretary Sigdel said, 'We are behind developing countries in road safety; our law-making process is very long, complex, and time-consuming. Especially in road safety, the instrumental factor is the lack of law. We have now prepared the Road Safety Bill to be tabled in this session of parliament. Similarly, the road safety policy has also been prepared, and we will submit it for approval immediately after getting it approved. We had submitted it before, but due to the dissolution of the government, we are updating it again.' The ministry is also preparing to operate special programs on national highways by allocating a separate budget sub-heading for road safety. Secretary Sigdel stated that upcoming programs will be based on the 'Road Safety Action Plan 2020-2030' and a campaign will be launched to expand roads narrower than five to five and a half meters. He mentioned that more than 350 high-risk landslide-prone areas on national highways have been identified and these problems will be resolved within the next three to five years. Preparations are also underway to install an 'Early Warning System' in high-risk areas. Discussing the causes of road accidents, he emphasized the need to bring issues like mobile usage and distractions from music and moving video advertisements within the legal framework. Stating that serious accidents are increasing due to roads constructed by local levels without technical standards, Secretary Sigdel even warned that some high-risk roads may have to be closed. He stated that road safety is a multidimensional issue connected to education, infrastructure, and effective implementation.