'Focus on Singha Durbar area beautification'

KATHMANDU, June 29:A parliamentary sub-committee has suggested to the government to focus on beautification of Singha Durbar area.

The sub-committee under the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the parliament has suggested to the government to demolish all the small buildings inside the country's main administrative area and create space for gardens and greenery. The committee claimed that construction of small structures in the Singha Durbar area tarnished the beauty of the area and also made the area congested.

“We suggest the government to remove the small buildings that have been disturbing the scenery of the area and create open space for gardens,” lawmaker Bikash Lamsal, coordinator of the sub-committee, told Republica on Tuesday. “We have also suggested to the government to build a mega structure and accommodate all the small offices inside the building, creating space for greenery and open space.”

“Inside the Singha Durbar, successive governments have built so many buildings over time and the area is becoming congested every passing year. That's why, we have suggested constructing mega structures for accommodating many ministries in a single building and to create open spaces where the government can develop gardens,” Lamsal added.

Similarly, the sub-committee also asked the full committee to direct the government to remove the dumped old vehicles and worthless furniture from the Singha Durbar area for the beautification process.

The sub-committee on Monday submitted its report to the PAC. In its report, the sub-committee has also suggested to government to reconstruct the historic Singha Durbar and Legislative Parliamentary building which were damaged by earthquakes last year following modern architectural design but without distorting their original shape.

“We also found that there was also dispute between Singha Durbar Secretariat Reconstruction Committee (SSRC) and Ministry for Home Affairs on who should carry out the reconstruction work of the Singha Durbar area,” Lamsal said. “But as the SSRC is the responsible office for all these works, we have asked the full committee to ask the home ministry not to interfere in the committee's jurisdiction.”

A report has also suggested to the government to install the vehicle security scanner machine at the southern entrance gate of the administrative zone.

The PAC had formed the five member sub-committee on January 4 to address the complaints.