International Conference on Sustainable Development of Transport SystemsThe first president of Nepal His Excellency Ram Baran Yadav gracefully inaugurated the International Conference on Sustainable Development of Transport System, October 19-22, 2011 at Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Kathmandu. The conference dealt with financing on transport infrastructure, resettlement, traffic congestion and road safety. In addition, the conference also deliberated interlinkages between transportation and climate change.Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL)-Himalayan Heritage Routes, ICIMODThe Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL) – covering Tibetan Southwestern part and adjacent Nepalese and Indian territories – is considered as a “Cultural Hotspot”, with a deep and rich cultural diversity is threatened by climate change induced poverty. The greater Mt. Kailash area represents a sacred landscape significant to over a billion people in Asia and around the globe, and considered holy by at least five religions, including Hindu, Buddhist, Bon Po, Jain, and Sikh. The accelerated environmental degradation has endangered the cultural diversity which has to be paused and reversed. The sustainable tourism could be a reasonable answer to alter the plight. The international best practices has revealed that the heritage routes have a great potential for attracting tourism for which ICIMOD invited Via - Storia - a Swiss agency with proven track record of conserving heritage trails. NTDRC was trusted as a local partner.National seminar on Traffic SafetyNational road safety is a critical policy area. Road conditions, driver behavior, vehicle conditions and operating practices all contribute to accidents, requiring greater policy attention to reduce the social and economic cost, injury and death. The number of accidents increased from 3,823 in 2001/02 to 4770 in 2012/13. Out of total road accidents in Nepal, Kathmandu Valley’s share reached to 57% in 2010/11. Most of the accidents (79.04%) occurred owing to driver's negligence followed by high speed (9.87%), drunken driving (4.95%), vehicle condition (2.54% and overtaking (2.33%). Against this context, the Ministry of Physical Planning and Transport (MOPIT) prepared a Road Safety Action Plan which needs to be operationalized. The main objective of the seminar was to elucidate Government of Nepal’s Road Safety Action Plan. Identification of interested donors and partners in the field of road safety was another objective. Launching a 'Road Safety Unit" was another intent. The RSU was intended to kick off discourse in road safety which may ultimately culminate into refining existing strategies and policies and developing new if required.Technical Training for RAIDP’s EngineersRural Access Improvement and Decentralization Project (RAIDP) was one of the World Bank funded rural road projects covering 30 districts of the country. The construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of district roads were the principal components. DDCs were implementing bodies and the District Technical Offices (DTOs) were trusted for quality assurance. Considering the nature of the responsibility, the enhancement of DTO/RAIDP engineers' technical capacity was indispensable. Setting road alignments, designing geometry and structures including bridges were other principal responsibilities of DTOs for which they required hands on skills.Workshop on designing, constructing and maintaining motorable BridgesNTDRC trained engineers of the Department of Roads (DoR) with financial support from the World Bank. The purpose was to prepare engineers for the upcoming bridge improvement and maintenance project (BIMP). BIMP intended to ensure uninterrupted traffic movement along Nepal's Strategic Roads Network through effective maintenance and rehabilitation of large bridges. The bridge policy was informed by the international best practices and Bridge Management System (BMS) was rolled out. About 500 DoR engineers, consultants and contractors were trained on bridge technology, dispute resolution, quality assurance and e-bidding. All training programmes except e-bidding and contract management were conducted in Kathmandu. Training on e-bidding and contract management were organizedin Pokhara, Biratnagar, Nepalgunj and Dhanghadi. Two training programmes on e-bidding were organized in Kathmandu.Training on e-submission and contract managementNTDRC conducted training programs on e-bidding and contract management in Kathmandu. Pokhara, Biratnagar, Hetauda, Nepalgunj and Dhanghadi. Ensuring free competition in the construction sector was the primary objective of e-bidding.Training on Contract Administration and Dispute ManagementDisputes between employer and contractors are the primary causes for delays resulting additional costs. Enhancing DoR engineers' capacity for resolving problems was the major focus of this intervention.Technical and Lab training to the local level Engineers and Lab TechnicianLab technicians and engineers of the local bodies need to be up to the speed for quality assurance. Formulating Policies, reforming governance, ensuring efficient service delivery, empowering citizens were the primary focus. The Trainings were conducted all seven provinces and covers 77 districts local levels.