Corruption on road: High chances of accident

 

             Corruption is defined as the activity of taking money for the personal benefit of doing a particular kind of job in that sector. It has been described as the misuse of power that has been assigned to them for personal benefit. It is an illegal activity that occurs when the individual or organization agrees to process it for its own benefit.

      In today's society corruption takes place in different sectors i.e., roads, medical fields, transportation, etc. But corruption in the road sector has been one of the major problems of society. The impact of the corruption in road sector increases the high chances of accidents and risk of unsafe roads which might lead to the death of people. Road safety is one of the most serious public health and development challenges in the world.

      Driving is one of the most used social activities where drivers must share the road with other drivers and pedestrians. The risk of injury and death tends to increase in some of the countries all over the world. In the scenarios of Nepal, the roads of Kathmandu are one of the most dangerous roads in Nepal putting the people who use the road for their uses life in danger due to the bad condition of the roads. Two-wheeler users and people who walk on foot are the most vulnerable road users in Kathmandu, Nepal. Due to the bad condition of the road, many people have lost their lives in accidents. 

     In the context of Kathmandu Valley, more than 9000 road accidents have been registered where a large number of people have lost their lives and become injured. More than 178 people have lost their lives in 11 months of FY 2022/23. According to the traffic police, riders who ride motorcycles and scooters have died due to accidents. It is also said that the number of men is higher than the number of women who die in the accident. The major cause of the accident was speeding, careless riding, overtaking, and unbalance of the vehicles due to the bad condition of the road. Due to the holes in roads and uncompleted roads in different areas, many accidents take place which might lead them to their death.

  In order to tackle how to stop the corruption in the road sector, at first we have to understand why such corruption occurs. The reason for such corruption falls into many ways which are listed below:

 Corruption in government :Corruption in government is one of the main issues that leads to accidents on the roads. Developing and underdeveloped countries are normally suited for this corruption. They use political power to get certain contracts in specific places.

  Corruption in licensing: In the field of transportation, vehicles are mostly used by the people. Corruption takes place in the permit of their license. Due to corruption, unemployed people uses money to get their license which leads to a high risk of accident. Unsafe drivers are produced. It’s one of the serious issues that can have a negative impact on road safety. In this field, corruption produces fake documents, licenses, transportation permits, etc.

 Unfinished road project: Mainly corruption takes place in the construction of the road. People use the help of the political parties’ power to secure the contract of significant places or to avoid penalties for their illegal activities. This kind of project often leads to accidents due to unfinished projects. The contractor took the full budget for the construction but left their work undone.

 

As we all know, corruption affects every country, not just Nepal. The risk of accidents increases in every sector of the world if corruption takes place. The number and nature of measures to prevent corruption related to this sector are listed below:

• Public awareness: Creating public awareness is one of the most important ways to stop corruption. People should get beneficial information related to the road and what will happen due to the bad condition of the roads.
  
  
  
• Political power: The power assigned to the political power should be used in a proper way and used against corrupt groups. Strong political power is essential to combating corruption.
• Use of modern technology: As we are living in the 21st century, technology like GPS and satellites for project monitoring ensures the work in the road sector is completed as planned according to the contract paper.
• Strong law against corruption: Strick punishment should be charged against corrupted people. Proper investigation should be done in the project field.
• Power of the people: A path for the people who are against corruption should be created, and their participation in government activities should be allowed in order to stop corruption.

 In the context of Nepal, corruption on the road is a critical challenge that affects both the economic and social well-being of both sectors. Corruption leads to poorly constructed or unfinished roads and the loss of public trust. To fight against corruption, a powerful government and law should be established so that the deaths of people will decrease and lead to a beautiful country.