Lawmakers question the MoUD on lack of basic facilities in cities

Kathmandu, Sept. 4:

Lawmakers on Tuesday questioned the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) about the lackluster performance in building the basic amenities in the municipalities announced a couple of years ago.

Speaking at the Parliament’s Development and Technology Committee (DTC) meeting, they criticised the ministry for its inability to create a clear roadmap for the development of cities in the country.

Many new municipalities do not have basic facilities, such as drinking water, road network as well as education and health facilities.

“Most of the villages were turned into municipalities without any proper planning and requisite facilities. Therefore, the ministry should make them look like cities with all the amenities an urban area needs,” former prime minister Jhala Nath Khanal said.

He said that long-term urban planning was needed as the ultimate goal of the government was to develop every settlement into modern cities.

Lawmaker and former minister Anil Jha said that there had been much talk about the urban planning and smart cities, but the governments lacked proper vision and planning for the development of the cities.

Lawmaker Durga Poudel demanded that the parameters of ‘Janata Awas’ – Home for People – should be different according to the geographical location of the house.

Members of the committee asked the ministry about the progress of the programmes like smart city, green city, curbing haphazard planning and integrated settlements.

Noting that no urban area in the country had the basic standards of a city and they lacked basic urban structure, the DTC directed the MoUD to develop integrated settlements as per the scientific standards in various geographic locations.

It asked the ministry to develop a land use policy at the earliest.

It directed the government to create the standards of modern cities and municipalities, list of cities that have Asian standard facilities and information about the size of population that the Kathmandu Valley can accommodate, and submit it to the committee within 15 days.

“The development of satellite cities around the Valley is visible nowhere, and there is no progress regarding the land pooling works. The government must resolve the issues and expedite the works regarding the creation of satellite cities,” said committee chairman Jip Chhiring Lama.

The committee took special note of the construction of the Outer Ring Road in the Kathmandu Valley and expressed serious concerns about the obstruction of the road at Chobhar and Satungal.

“Submit the reasons behind the Outer Ring Road’s case at Satungal and Chobhar, and extension of Ichangunarayan Land Acquisition Project within 15 days,” directed the DTC.

Minister for Urban Development Mohammad Istiyak Rai said that the government was creating various policies to address the problems in urban development.

He also said that the government was planning to develop a rehabilitation plan for the settlements that were at risk of floods in the Terai.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 5 September 2018.