Ironically, this very densely populated marketplace that extends up to Old Baneshwar does not have a single public toilet, posing great discomfiture to the locals and visitors. [break]
“This sounds like a pity issue, but it is not,” said a 71-year-old Shyam Krishna Shrestha, a voter from Kathmandu-1. “When they cannot build a toilet in such an important area, what else can they do for the country? The leaders of this country care about nobody but themselves. They have proved it time and again. I don´t feel like voting for anyone,” said Sherstha.
Parbati Timilsina, originally from Tanahu district, who moved to her house in new Baneshwar a decade ago, feels that the haphazardly erected houses and buildings, narrow lanes and alleys, poor road networks, poor sewage and sanitation system, lack of clean water and problems of the families living on rent, who constitute a huge percentage of the population in the area, have to be addressed by the politicians. “And there is lack of open space, public parks and even the street lights are not functional. All these problems add to the inconvenience to our daily life,” she said, adding that the overhead bridge at the crossroad at Baneshwar Chowk is something the government should construct without delay.
According to a research by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a minimum of 100,000 people pass the crossing at Baneshwar every day. The road safety unit under the government plans to construct an overhead bridge there, though the time of its completion has not been fixed.
People around Shankhamul have wider issues. They just do not have proper roads and a bridge to connect to the other sides and the dumping of garbage around the river is a seasonal problem. “Even though we live in core area of Kathmandu, we feel that we are living in some remote corner as there are no proper roads and the garbage is not managed properly. But our leaders are incapable of doing anything efficiently. They have no will,” said an NGO staff Prem Kharel.
Another voter from the constituency, who is still not sure whether he will make it to the booth on the election day, wants, nonetheless, for a single party to secure a majority so that there is stability in the nation. The common need is overall development, which alone can ensure the progress of the nation, feels Raunak Pyakurel, a 35-year-old shopkeeper at Anamnagar. “This time it is very difficult to figure out which party would remain ahead in the election. I would love to vote for a party that has a chance to win majority,” said Pyakurel. “If none of the party manages to secure majority, it is going to be a big blow to the nation as coalition politics will again result in a mess.
While basic development issues have not quite ceased to bother the people here, it is remarkable that the constituency 1 is the only constituency in Kathmandu district without any village development committee. It constitutes only city areas covering Tripureshwor, Sankhamul, Thapagaun, Anamnagar, Ghattekulo, Meenbhawan, New Baneshwor and Shantinagar.
Prakash Man Singh from Nepali Congress, Renu Dahal from UCPN-Maoists and UML candidate Bidhya Neupane, among others, are contesting from the constituency.
In the last CA election Singh had contested from the same constituency and had won by securing 14,318 votes. CPN-UML leader Pradeep Nepal had bagged 6,789 votes and Ram Man Shrestha of CPN-Maoists drew 4836 votes then.
Tough competition is going to be between Dahal and Singh this time, according to Prabesh Raut who is not a voter from the constituency. “I belong to constituency 2. Singh will probably make it again from here but Dahal´s chances are high too,” said the 40-year-old medical practitioner. “But people so badly frustrated that except for the active party cadres, it is hard to see excitement in people´s face regarding election,” he added.
Meanwhile, Shrestha stated that after living seven decades on earth, he is no more passionate about life and the only thing he wants to see before death is the country getting a new and good constitution, declared from the dominating building which is facing his fancy shop in New Baneshwar.
“I see the building every day. I cannot avoid it as it faces my shop. What comes to my mind when I see it is the herd of very irresponsible, corrupt politicians who spent much of their time but gave no solution to the country,” lamented Shrestha. “Can we hope they would not disappoint the people this time?”
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