Nuwakot, June 20: There are strong public complaints here against the concerned government authorities turning the proverbial “blind eye” to the many illegal constructions that are springing up almost overnight along the Kathmandu-Trishuli sector of the Pasang Lhamu Highway.

Several illegal constructions have sprouted up along the highway by encroaching upon the highway at many places, according to the local people.

The trend of encroaching the highways which has been a country-wide phenomenon is more pronounced along this sector, the local people say.

They say such illegal constructions have come up especially in Kakani, Ranipauwa and Geredhum Bazaar, Barahisthan and Belkot of Madanpur, Trishuli Bazaar and several other places.

Quarrying of stones for construction of houses and sheds from along the road side has sometimes even led to the closure of the highway many times making a mockery of the Roads Regulation Act-2031 B.S.

The Roads Regulation Act-2031 stipulates that houses or any structure can be constructed only at a distance 15 metres away on either sides of the road. But one can see that the provision has been flouted in several instances and nothing has been done against the offenders.

Chief of the roads division office at Ranipauwa Annada Battaju conceded that the road has been encroached at many places and attributed lack of public awareness for this.

He said the local bodies should also fulfill their responsibilities to regulate the roads and stop such illegal constructions.

It’s high time the government takes concrete steps to thwart such illegal constructions, he stressed.