KATHMANDU, Feb 13: Locals and the government are at odds over the ongoing works to widen roads connecting the ministerial residence in Bhainsepati.
With no external structures present, a wall approximately 300 meters long has been erected on the east and west sides of the home, and soil has been piled in certain spots. A badminton court has replaced the heliport at the minister’s residence, thanks to local residents. Meanwhile, interior drainage is now allowed to be connected to the exterior, and there are problems installing the drinking water line.
Due to a dispute between the employees of the Ministry of Urban Development and locals regarding the widening of the road, the special building construction project under the ministry has not been able to construct a concrete wall. This has led to problems not only in the beautification of housing but also in security.
Damodar Khadka, ward chairman of Lalitpur Metropolitan City-18, where the minister's residence (Saibu Awas Yojana) is located, said, “We also do not want to see the ministerial residence in such a miserable condition. Currently, it has become a major problem. This issue should be resolved immediately. ”
All the ministers of the federal government have moved into the new ministerial residence. The houses inside the ministerial residence are grand and attractive, but the external structure is in disarray. There are problems with drinking water, sewage, walls, and helipad. According to the staff of the Special Building Construction Project, the ministers who have moved into the new ministerial residence and the security personnel deployed for the protection of the ministers have expressed security concerns as the boundary wall has not been built around them.
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According to project employees, the security personnel assigned to protect the residence have complained that they have difficulty moving in such conditions. In areas where zinc sheets have been used to erect walls, anyone can easily tear through the sheets and enter the residence. In some places, not even zinc sheets have been erected.
All roads around the residence should be at least 11 meters wide, and the locals are adamant that the wall will not be built until the width is 11 meters. At present, the road to the west is only five meters wide.
Ministry employees say that if the road on the west side is to be made 11 meters wide, the government is willing to give up 3 meters, but the local people must also give up another 3 meters. However, the locals insist that they will not give up even an inch.
Therefore, the ministry has not been able to build a wall around the house and take the drainage pipe out of the house. The locals are demanding that the drainage be installed only after the road problem is resolved. There have been repeated discussions between the locals and the ministry on this issue, but the problem has not been resolved.
In 2031 BS, the government acquired 97 ropanis of land from the Saibu Awas Yojana in Bhainsepati with compensation to build a central prison. Although the central prison was not built on that land, the government decided to build a new ministerial residence in 2075 BS. Currently, not only the ministerial residence but also the residence of the Speaker of the National Assembly and the liaison office of the Chief Minister and provincial heads have been built on that land.
The locals are demanding that the road to the west be 11 meters wide and some land be set aside for the temple near the ministerial residence. However, the ministry representatives are reluctant to give up the land, arguing that as soon as the road is widened to 11 meters, the government's 4 ropanis 14 anas of land will be lost, leading to another situation like the Baluwatar case.
Similarly, the ministry stated that if the land towards the helipad is to be given up, two ropanis of land will have to be given up. Additionally, a concrete wall has not been allowed to be built towards the helipad on the eastern side of the residence. Instead, zinc sheets have been used as a temporary solution.
Ministry officials said that as soon as the road towards the west is made 11 meters long, the outer wall will shift inward, the green area inside will be reduced, and the inner wall will be shortened, which will lead to increased security challenges. Therefore, the government cannot afford to give up 6 meters of land.
A local, Bijaya Kunwar, said that even before the construction of the ministerial residence, there was an agreement that all the roads around the ministerial residence should be 11 meters wide, and they have been pressured to implement this agreement. Kunwar said that the parliamentary committee and the Finance Minister have already given instructions to make the width of the road on the west side 11 meters.
“We will not give up the land. We will not allow the wall to be built until the government builds an 11-meter-wide road,” he said. He further mentioned that the Ministry of Urban Development has raised a dispute over an issue that had already been agreed upon.
Ward Chairman Khadka said that the government should understand the need to make the road around the ministerial residence 11 meters wide. “This is a matter for the government to understand. As soon as the ministerial residence is built, traffic will increase. There is a possibility of congestion. It is the government's responsibility to widen the road,” he said, “This issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible. We do not want to escalate the problem.”
Sunil Kumar Thakur, project chief of the Special Building Construction Project, said that if the government gives up land in the name of widening the road, not only will they be trapped, but it will also increase security challenges within the residence, shorten the inner wall, and damage the internal structure.
Thakur said that the locals should leave as much land as the government leaves for the road. He suggests that the locals should allow the government to carry out its work. The ministry employees understand that although the local houses were approved by the municipality with a five-meter road, the issue is being escalated. The employees said, “It is the government's responsibility to protect government and public land. The government is fulfilling its responsibility.”
