The five-member subcommittee has proposed two alternative models for the federal system. [break]
One model has 14 provinces -- Khaptad, Karnali, Tharuhat, West Madhes (Lumbini), Magarat, Tamuwan, Tamsaling, Newa, Sunkoshi, Kirat, Limbuwan, Madhes and Birat -- while the other model has six provinces. The states proposed in the second model are Karnali, Gandaki, Sagarmatha, Srijanga, Lumbini (Bhawar) and Simraungadh (Janakpur).
Apart from fixing the number of provinces and delineating them, the subcommittee has also recommended their capitals. The capitals recommended for the 14 provinces are: Dipayal-Silgadhi for Khaptad, Birendranagar for Karnali, Tansen for Magarat, Pokhara for Tamuwan, Bharatpur for Narayani, Kathmandu for Newa, Chautara for Tamsaling, Kamalamai for Sunkoshi, Triyuga for Kirant, Ilam for Limbuwan, Damak for Birat, Janakpur for Madhes, Siddharthanagar for West Madhes (Lumbini), and Gulariya for Tharuhat.
The capitals proposed for the six provinces under the second model are: Surkhet for Karnali, Pokhara for Gandaki, Kathmandu for Sagarmatha, Dharan for Srijanga, Janakpur for Simraungadh (Janakpur) and Tribhuwannagar-Ghorahi for Lumbini (Bhawar).
- Capitals of provinces fixed
- Central govt to select national capital
- Draft to be ready by Jan 20
Hit Man Shakya, coordinator of the subcommittee, handed over the report to chairman of the full committee Lokendra Bista Magar Friday. The subcommittee included Shakya of UCPN (Maoist), Narahari Acharya of Nepali Congress (NC), Dr Mangal Siddhi Manandhar of CPN(UML), JP Gupta of Madhesi People´s Rights Forum and Pratibha Rana of Rastriya Prajatantra Party.
The full committee will finalize the draft after holding further discussions on the models proposed by the subcommittee. "We will conclude all the issues by January 20," Magar said. According to him, the committee will prepare its preliminary draft report and concept paper by the same date.
The two models were prepared on the basis of maps submitted to the committee by 15 political parties and by individuals. Political parties and some members of the committee submitted 22 maps to the committee. The Maoist party proposed 13 provinces, CPN-UML suggested 15 and the NC didn´t come up with any delineation, saying the task should be carried out by a restructuring commission. Acharya of NC, as a member of the committee, proposed two alternatives: one with six provisions and the other with 13. Likewise, CPN (ML) and CPN (United), among other parties, proposed six and eight provinces respectively.
The model with 14 provinces has similarities with proposals put forth by the Maoists and the CPN-UML while the second model was prepared incorporating features of the other maps. "When we studied all the 22 maps, we generally found two groups: one with less than eight provinces and the second group with more than 10 provinces," Thakur Baral, secretary of the committee, told myrepublica.com.
Before creating the provinces, the CA committee first identified several clusters across the country on the basis of ethnicity/community, language, cultural-geographic-regional continuity, economic interdependence, status and prospects of infrastructural development, availability of natural resources and means and administrative accessibility. All the ethnic groups that occupy more than one percent of the total population and languages spoken by more than one percent of the total population are included while creating the clusters. The committee used data and maps prepared by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
Pushpa Sharma of Tribhuvan University, Nava Raj Subedi of the Survey Department and freelance geographer Madhav Adhikari worked for nearly a month to delineate the states, using a Geographic Information System (GIS) on the basis of information and directions given by the committee.
Before delimiting the provinces, the committee also received inputs from experts and bureaucrats including Dr Pitambar Sharma, Kashi Raj Dahal, Dr Om Gurung, Mohan Banjade, Krishna Khanal, Lok Raj Baral, Sunil Pokharel, Yuvraj Sangraula and Dinesh Tripathi, among others.
Options open for national capital
While the subcommittee has already named the capitals of the proposed provinces, it has suggested giving final authority to the central government to decide the national capital. Though some members proposed Chitwan and some adjoining areas for development as the national capital, the subcommittee later decided to give the authority to choose to the federal government.
Madhesi People´s Rights Forum (MPRF) leader JP Gupta however registered differing views on both the models. He has accused the subcommittee of using discriminatory principles while delimiting the provinces in the hills and Madhes.
Once the full committee incorporates one of the models or both, it needs to be endorsed by a two-thirds majority of the 601-member CA.
thira@myrepublica.com
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