KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has started to expand the pathway along New Road in response to a Patan High Court decision. The extension project, which would extend from Juddha Shalik to Indra Chowk, got underway on Wednesday morning.

The expansion work had previously faced a halt imposed by the Divisional Road Office, prompting the KMC to seek legal intervention from the High Court. In response, a joint bench of Judges Dhruba Raj Nanda and Prakash Kharel issued an interim order permitting the KMC to proceed with the footpath expansion.

The court's decision was based on Article 57 of the Constitution of Nepal, which grants local authorities jurisdiction over local roads, rural roads, agricultural roads, and irrigation systems. This constitutional provision supported the KMC's authority to undertake the footpath expansion project without further hindrance.