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Irresponsible Local and Federal Government
Irresponsible Local and Federal Government
KTM Metro Reporter
July 17, 2017
Kathmandu: On July 15, 2017, Binita Phuyal: a student of three grade lost her loss drowning in the water the monsoon rains have poured in the pothole the diggers of trenches for laying water pipes to bring water from Melamchi River to Kathmandu left unguarded. Another young girl student Satya Sapkota fell into drainage and swept away but she survived thanks to the folks around managed to pull her out of the other end of a pipe.
If anybody in the country where the rule of law prevails if anybody dies in such a way, the parents or relatives would sue the concerned official or officials for the murder and for the appropriate compensation to the parent of the victim. However, poor Binita and Satya are in Nepal where neither the rule of law nor the accountability of the local government and the federal government prevails.
However, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba ordered the concerned State agencies to fill up the potholes within 15 days, the news in “gorkhapatra” stated on July 17, 2017, after the media outcry.
The newly elected mayor of Kathmandu also stated he was accountable to the death of the young girl but he did not say anything whether he would compensate the parent of the victims for the loss of the life and the girl for almost losing the life. The newly elected mayor of Kathmandu had stated on his campaign trail that he would immediately make Kathmandu free of dust, mud and potholes but he has been sleeping for more than a month doing nothing to keep his campaign pledges.
The so-called consumer protection agencies have been mute. They pretend that the commuters and pedestrians on the streets are not the consumers. So, they did not speak out.
The human rights organizations and the National Human Rights Commission also don’t see the people on the streets have rights to commute and walk safely, as they don’t speak out for protecting human rights of the common folks on the streets. They don’t have even feeling for accountability to the protection of human rights for which they have been working and for which they are paid for particularly officials and authorities of the National Human Rights Commission from the taxpayers’ money.
Clearly, the concerned agency that digs the street and leaves the potholes for anybody particularly the motorcyclists, and even the car drivers, too to fall in is responsible for the death and injury and loss of property. Such an agency needs to pay for compensation. If such an agency did not take any responsibility then the responsibility would shift to the local government? If the local government does not take responsibility then the federal government becomes accountable.
That is why Prime minister Deuba must have ordered the State agencies to fill up the potholes but that is not enough; the parents and loved ones of the victims of the potholes need to receive compensation for the loss of their loved ones and for the injuries the loved ones have suffered.
The so-called human rights organizations and then of course the consumers’ associations need to take actions, too. They need to take both the administrative and legal actions. In other words, they need to approach the concerned State agencies to redress the sufferings of the victims, and even need to sue the State officials for not keeping their accountability to safeguards the lives and property of the common folks.
A number of motorcyclists have died falling in the potholes left unguarded by the diggers of the trenches for laying pipes. Even a car has fallen in such a large pothole. Recently, somebody has posted pictures of a water buffalo fallen in a large pothole in the facebook. How long the Kathmanduites have to suffer from the negligence of the so-called responsible State agencies that have been doing everything irresponsibly for the delivery of service to the common folks?
