Thamel area set to open round the clock

KATHMANDU, Jan 19: Although plans to maintain the nighttime operations of Thamel were made many times, they were not successful. Now an action plan has been formulated to ensure the 24-hour operation of the Thamel area.

Bhabishwor Sharma, president of Thamel Tourism Development Council (TTDC) said that an action plan is being prepared with the aim of keeping the Thamel area operational 24 hours a day. "We are working with a plan to open not only the night business but the entire Thamel area 24 hours," he said. "Earlier there were plans to open only the nighttime businesses. In this action plan, the concept of opening the entire Thamel area has also been mentioned," he added.

Sharma said that there have been two rounds of negotiations for this. He said that representatives of the TTDC and representatives of the District Security Office held discussion in the first round of negotiations.

Similarly, during the second round of talks, representatives of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City-Social Development Department, representatives of the TTDC, people's representatives, representatives of the District Security Committee also conducted meetings and discussed the issue.

Earlier, when the concept of opening any business in Thamel was being created, there was no action plan with a code of conduct, but this time, a draft was brought in a planned manner with a code of conduct. "We have made criteria for homeowners, businessmen, and others to make the Thamel market run in an orderly and dignified manner in accordance with the law," he said.

This time, the TTDC has prepared and submitted a draft of the 'Peace and Safety Management Code of Conduct for Homeowners, Businessmen and Tourists – 2080 BS' in accordance with the concept of 'Organized Thamel, Safe Thamel' before the District Security Committee.

Nowhere in Nepal have cities been opened for 24-hour commercial activities. Thamel, which is known as the tourist hub of Nepal, has many advantages when it can be open 24 hours a day. If the city is open round the clock by following the commercial laws and policies specified by the government, tourism activities will automatically increase and businesses will also flourish.

If the market is always open, not only will commercial activity flourish, but investment will expand, employment will be created and foreign exchange earnings will increase further. Also, it will contribute to the state in taxes and help to strengthen the country economically.

Last November, CCTV cameras were installed in Thamel at the initiative of TTDC and with the support of Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Kathmandu Valley Police Office, Ranipokhari.

More than 100 CCTV cameras were installed to strengthen peace and security in the Thamel area and to make the area clean, beautiful, safe and orderly. Recently, 400 street lights have been installed for safety in and the beauty of the Thamel area.

Similarly, currently maintenance and beautification of the Thamel road is being done for upgrading and numbers have also been placed for easy identification of Thamel streets.

Sharma said, "We aim to turn Thamel into a lively destination, fostering exploration and enjoyment." Sharma said that the action plan this time is not a hasty decision, but a professional concept with a code of conduct being prepared. He said, “We are not going to make a hasty decision; we are bringing a legal, systematic and practical plan for this.”

He believes that if the Thamel area remains open 24 hours a day, except for security management, there are not many challenges in other aspects. "If the state can guarantee the security system, there are no other major problems for the implementation of the plan."

He added, "As far as commercial activities are concerned, there may not be any business in the beginning, but after the activities start to increase, businesses will naturally thrive."

He mentioned that tourists and any citizen above 18 years of age will be able to visit Thamel 24 hours a day, hang out, stay, have fun and shop, and said that plans like street festivals and various cultural programs will be introduced gradually to keep the market running.

The draft of the code of conduct was submitted to the district security committee 10 days ago and it will be discussed and sent to the home ministry for future approval and necessary improvement.