KATHMANDU, March 28: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) appears to have lately started focusing on other tasks while forgetting to address the main problems of the city. Many people have been surprised by KMC’s preparation to move to a new building with an expensive rent, ignoring the existing physical structures that are under construction and need to be strengthened.

After the KMC signed an agreement to move to Kathmandu Plaza for 10 years by paying Rs six million per month, voices of protest have started to be heard from within the metropolis. The employees of the metropolitan office are wondering why the metropolis is moving into a new building with such an expensive rent while leaving the building worth Rs 700 million in Teku that is currently under construction.

“Why does the office have to move to Kathmandu plaza when a building that is being constructed at a cost of Rs 700 million along with the Environment Department in Teku? We are also surprised," said an employee of the metropolis. "While on the one hand, Teku's building has not been completed despite it has been a year, the office is being shifted to another place with an expensive rent.”

He believes that if the construction of Teku's building is completed and the retrofitting works of the Bagh Durbar building are carried out soon, the problem of the office space will be solved to a large extent. An employee of the metropolis said that although there are various other disputes in the Teku building, there is no need to delay the construction work.

Deepak Adhikari, assistant spokesperson of the metropolis, said that the office is going to be moved with the aim of operating all the offices from one place. He believes that the service users will feel relieved when all the departments, branches and divisions of the metropolis are in one place. He said that the metropolis is currently providing services from 10 different locations.

Adhikari also informed Republica that this is not a decision of the metropolis, but a decision made by the cabinet. In order to integrate the service of the metropolis, a decision was made to take the building of Nepal Trust on lease. 

In the past, the metropolitan office was operating in Bagh Darbar, but since the earthquake of 2015, all administrative services are being operated from the JDA complex in Sundhara, paying 1.8 million rupees per month. Some of the services are continued even from the old building of Bagh Darbar.

In such a situation, with the agreement reached between the metropolis and the Nepal Trust on Wednesday to move to Kathmandu Plaza, which is owned by Nepal Trust, the final preparations are being made to move the Cooperative Department, and District Coordinating Committee departments to Kathmandu Plaza.

The metropolis has said that around 70 four-wheelers and 200 two-wheelers can be parked on the lower floor of the building, which has been built on an area of five ropani and two paisa. According to the metropolis, 16 departments are currently providing services from different locations.

The old building of Bagdurbar houses the Metropolitan Police Force, Courts, Legal Services, Traffic Management Expert's Office, Planning Monitoring and Evaluation Unit. Similarly, Teku building has the Environment Management Department, Parks and Greenery Promotion Project and Land Consolidation Project Office. In Tahachal, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Department and Education Department is currently operating.

Similarly, revenue, public works and urban management departments are being operated from Babarmahal. The cooperative department is in Bijuli Bazar area, while the Urban Planning Commission has its office in Thapathali.

Similarly, there are offices of the District Coordination Committee, Health, Heritage and Tourism, Disaster Management, Social Development Department, Public Private Partnership Unit from Babarmahal. There is a Hanuman Dhoka Palace Conservation Office in Basantapur. The National Hall has structures including the Information Technology Department and National Centre for Fruit Development of the metropolis.

 
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