The Ganesh Marg road section in Shankhamul, Kathmandu, dug up in May to lay Melamchi drinking water pipes, has remained unrepaired for over three months. Continuous rainfall has left the stretch muddy and difficult to travel across it, causing severe inconvenience to residents.

The road, which connects Shankhamul’s main junction to Dobhan bridge, is relatively short. However, local residents say that leaving it botched up during the monsoon has forced them into hardship, with pedestrians and schoolchildren particularly affected.

To make things worse, confusion persists over who is responsible for repairs. Narayan Dutta Bhandari, head of the Kathmandu Road Division, said the road does not fall under his office’s jurisdiction as it is an inner road, which is the local government’s jurisdiction.

Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s information officer, Nurnidhi Neupane, however, stated that the Melamchi Water Supply Project must rebuild the road. “The agency that dug it up must restore it. If the Melamchi project broke it, then they must fix it,” he said.

Locals continue to suffer, with the road turning into a swampy stretch every time it rains.