KATHMANDU, September 8: It's been exactly 100 days since Bidya Sundar Shakya was elected the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). In his election manifesto, he had expressed the commitment to accomplish 101 tasks in his first 100 days. With Thursday marking the completion of his 100 days in office, Mayor Shakya is far from delivering on most of his promises.
While entering office on May 31, Shakya had pledged to prove his efficiency with performance, and not speeches. Although it is too early to judge him based on the initial 100 days, also called the honeymoon period, it nonetheless provides us the hints of what we can expect of him. Republica has tried to analyze his achievements and failures, in his words and ours.
Under Shakya's tenure, KMC has passed its one-year, five-year and 10-year development policies and planning, revenue target, expenditure target etc. Likewise, under its 'Clean the City' campaign, KMC claims that it has collected 995 metric tons of waste so far, apart from the daily collection of waste. An additional 14 kilowatt of electricity is being generated daily from 3 metric tons of waste it collected, claimed the mayor.
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The municipality also initiated 'Green the City' program, under which it has planted 1,803 saplings in various areas, according to Mayor Shakya. Another initiative is the 'Ujyalo Aviyan' campaign, under which KMC said it has installed 1,773 solar lights in all 32 wards of the metropolis. By doing so, KMC claims it have saved 693 kilowatt of electricity.
Similarly, in his plans Shakya has stressed making public infrastructures and transportation accessible to the disabled people. Under his 'Smart City' plan, Shakya claimed that KMC has started the process to construct digital and vertical car parking lots at Dharmapath and Teku.
KMC has also initiated heritage reconstruction, prioritizing Rani Pokhari and Kastamandap Temple. “So far, we have completed the renovation of 33 historically important temples, stone spouts and ponds,” said Shakya, speaking at a program organized in Kathmandu to mark his 100 days of assuming office.
However, the achievements mentioned in his speech contradict the general observation by the public. His claims on garbage management, management of untidy wires and cables, reconstruction of heritages sites among many others are not solid. For instance, the problem of waste management is currently at its worst in the capital city. Heaps of garbage are dumped in front of Lalitkala College of Bhotahiti and New Road among many other places, affecting the health of the general public.
One of his promises has been to rid the city of dust and smoke. So far, the promise has been limited to words. Nonetheless, he acknowledged the failure and said that KMC is in the process of purchasing five road brooming machines to clean the dusty roads of Kathmandu.
Shakya, however, acknowledged his failure to deliver on all his promises. Coming from a politician, such acknowledgement is commendable. “Of the total plans, 86 have been included in the government plans and policies for the current fiscal year. We could not accomplish all our plans as promised during the election campaign due to various obstacles.”
The mayor has drawn fire from his political opposition. Raju Raj Joshi, Shakya's nearest rival in the May 14 local elections, said he is not satisfied with the mayor's performance. He, however, said, “But he is our mayor. And we have to support his endeavors instead of posing hurdles. I wish him luck.”
Mayor Shakya requested all stakeholders and the general public to work together with the metropolitan city for the overall development of the city. “Through the people's support, we can work toward making Kathmandu truly a model city of the country,” he expresses hope.
