Lawmakers seeking suggestions on name and capital of Province 5

BUTWAL, Jan 1: A committee formed for recommending the name and permanent capital of Province 5 has announced to deploy lawmakers to various districts for collecting suggestions. This is the first initiative of the committee since its formation some five months ago.

The committee has formulated a work plan and decided to mobilize lawmakers in 12 districts of the province for collecting names. A meeting of the committee held on Friday has formed six different groups, which will be heading toward different districts for collecting suggestions. Each group will have to go to two different districts for collecting information.

The committee has chosen lawmakers Dipendra Pun and Saraswati Gautam for Rupandehi and Nawalparasi while lawmakers Dipesh Tharu and Tara GC will be mobilized in Kapilvastu and Arghakhanchi. Similarly, Bhuwaneshwar Chaudhary and Sahasram Yadav have been chosen for Palpa and Gulmi. Likewise, Tulasi Prasad Chaudhary, Chetnarayan Acharya and Bishnu Panthi will reach out to the locals of Banke and Bardiya.

Furthermore, Narayan Acharya and Nirmal Chetri will be taking suggestions in Dang and Pyuthan while Dinesh Panthi, Bir Bahadur Rana, Rama Aryal and Kalpana Pandey will be deployed in Rolpa and Rukum. All groups will have to go to their assigned districts and hold discussions with the political parties, representatives and experts regarding the name and capital of the project.

Later, they will have to submit a report based on what they hear most, according to coordinator of the committee Dipendra Kumar Pun. Currently, the committee is busy preparing questionnaires. Representatives, leaders and experts will be given a form with certain questions, which they will have to answer.

"We will prioritize infrastructure more than the place when it comes to fixing the capital," said Coordinator Pun, adding, "Whichever is the capital, it must reflect the social, cultural, political and economic state of the province."

Group members will have to consider many things including the topography and population of the city while recommending the capital.

The report must be approved by majority in the provincial assembly. After interacting with the leaders and experts, all groups will have to collect suggestions from media as well. They will be spending approximately 10 days for the whole process. Earlier, the committee was accused of doing nothing at all for three months since its formation. However, the meeting called on December 12 extended the three months' deadline for completing its work.

The committee will now have to submit the report by March 10. Various political parties are lobbying to declare Butwal or the chief minister's home district, Dang, as the permanent capital of Province 5.