KATHMANDU, March 18: The government has planned 54 new cities across the Mid-Hill Highway, Postal Highway, and mountainous regions. However, these cities remain largely unimplemented due to inadequate budget and workforce. The cities exist only on paper, with many offices lacking the required staff, especially technical personnel.
Acting officials manage the offices related to new city projects. The government has not assigned a single Division Engineer (DE) equivalent to an Under Secretary to these offices, as outlined in the staffing plan. Instead, officer-level engineers have taken on the responsibilities of acting heads.
Similarly, the Ministry of Urban Development established the District Project Implementation Unit (Building and Housing) in Jajarkot to rehabilitate families displaced by the earthquake. However, an acting official manages the office, as the government has yet to appoint a project chief as per the staffing structure.
Out of the 54 planned new cities, officials have established dedicated project offices with separate staff in only 11 locations. The remaining cities are managed by project offices under the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, where officials have to juggle dual responsibilities.
PLMC gives continuity to old ambitious programs
Several officials are leading the projects in an acting capacity. The list includes Saurabh Kolani overseeing Saurabh Colony in Patan, Baitadi; Manoj Yadav managing Saphebagar, Achham; Pravesh Lamichhane handling Rakam Karnali; Shashindra Ghimire supervising Chaurjahari, Rukum West; Abhishek Adhikari directing Dumre, Tanahun; Trilok Joshi managing Baireni Galchi, Dhading; Santosh Niraula overseeing Khurkot, Sindhuli; Basant Kumar Jha leading Basantapur, Tehrathum; Mohan BK in charge of Phidim, Panchthar; and Hemant Kafle managing Bheri Ganga, Surkhet.
Tulsi Kharbuja serves as the acting head of the District Project Implementation Unit (Buildings and Housing) in Jajarkot.
Yek Raj Adhikari, deputy director general of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction and head of the New Town Project Coordination Office, mentioned that the office cannot assign DEs to all new city offices due to a shortage of staff.
A senior official from the office pointed out that not appointing a project chief according to the staffing structure negatively impacts work performance. The absence of a designated project chief alters the dynamics in municipal development meetings and district-level coordination meetings, where officials at the Under Secretary level are present. When an engineer leads a new city project, they face challenges in engaging as equals with these high-ranking officials.
The government has allocated 13 staff positions to each new city project office, including six technical personnel. However, none of the offices are fully staffed with technical staff, with only two or three technical personnel in each.
The Ministry of Urban Development oversees the new town project offices and is preparing to promote 14 Division Engineers (DEs) and recruit six additional engineers through an internal competition held by the Public Service Commission.
The Ministry created the DE position for new town planning offices, but after promotions, many officials are unwilling to move to these offices. The coordination office's chief officer noted that although DEs have been assigned from the pool positions to the new town planning offices, there is a mismatch between the DE positions created in the pool and those in the new city planning offices.
The government has not allocated enough budget for new city development. For the 54 new cities, the current fiscal year allocated Rs 1.47 billion. If this budget is distributed among all cities, each will receive less than Rs 30 million. "How can a new city develop with just Rs 30 million?" asked the coordination office's chief officer. "We have started land development projects in eight out of the 11 new cities and prioritized these projects," he added.
The government initiated the plan to build new cities 13 years ago in 10 locations along the Mid-Hill Highway to prevent migration and promote regional development. Over time, the number of new cities expanded, reaching 54 today.
