Nowadays, when I go to the office, it is as difficult for me as it is for school children. The same difficulty is felt when returning home. There is only one reason for this - sewage and flood. I live in one municipality and work in another. The entire Kathmandu Valley is the same. But there are 21 and 3 village municipalities in the three districts including the metropolis, sub-metropolis, and municipality. This time, where the local government has been active, has been suffering for several years due to the lack of sewage and flood management from the municipality to the metropolis. This grief is not seen to be immediate. As the number of municipalities has increased, the suffering of the citizens has increased.
Citizens must contribute to maintaining the structure of the municipality. The facilities available to the citizens due to being city dwellers are declining today as compared to yesterday. I live in Budhanilkantha municipality. Earlier, Kapan was a village development committee (VDC). It was later transformed into a municipality. After becoming a municipality, we have got fewer facilities locally than when we had a VDC. At that time, we all paved the road together. The locals had contributed to that. The black paper of about a decade and a half ago is not named now. The memory of that lost blacktop road still melts the mind.
We have been suffering for years. For that, we called for local and national officials. Many meetings were held here on the initiative of Gagan Kumar Thapa, an MP from this constituency. The staff of the road department has also assured that all the work will be done immediately. Despite assurances, they were not implemented. Sometimes, even when posted on social media about the condition of the road, the message only reaches MP Thapa. After all, what should Thapa do alone? We are not in a position to say anything to the people's representatives at this time. Roads in some places are now slightly improved. But there is no sign of the road being blacktopped by the locals themselves. Now that road is flooded. At other times, it is like a river. There was a big flood in Kapan on Friday night. As the floods intensify, it is only natural that those living in the lower reaches will suffer.
Until two years ago, I used to drive my car home. Now that the road is open, I keep it outside. Meanwhile, people's lives have been ruined in Corona. We are also victims of it. It has taken away all our earnings. To have a car is to become a white elephant. Now, since the vehicles do not reach the house, they have to pay only Rs. 4,000 per month. According to this, in two years, one lakh rupees has to be paid only for the night rent of the vehicle.
A service has been received from the brother of the place where the car is parked. He informs me in time when the flood comes. On the same basis, I will go home only after the flood stops. Many times after the floods, I have to take off my shoes and move to the top of the house. If this is the case in the capital Kathmandu, what does it mean that development in other parts of the country has not paid off?
Now let's talk about the office. My office is the JDA complex in Sundhara, which is also the office of the Kathmandu Metropolitan Corporation. The corporation has its offices in this building near its office. The parking lot at the JDA complex has been flooded for more than two years. Those who work in this area are now being harassed for not being able to park their cars.
Going to the office every day and finding a place to park your vehicle is like winning a Mahabharata war. Security guards and drivers seem to be constantly trying to get the vehicle organized and pass. This is a stressful scene. Not only that, seeing the extremely chaotic crowd of hundreds of cars and motorcycles makes anyone sad.
This situation has come to the fore in the vicinity of Sundhara Metropolitan City after the structure was set up in the nearby Central Jail. After the structure was built there, the sewer was closed. Last year, after a lot of hard work, the sewer was finally opened with the help of the metropolis, concerned ward office, office operators, and locals. The sewer has not been opened this year. The floor is full of dirty water. It is spreading a kind of stench there. On the one hand, the Corona epidemic, on the other hand, we are all plagued by such man-made problems.
They have said that approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs is needed to remove the structure after the prison has been constructed. One, was the Ministry of Home Affairs informed or not while constructing the structure to block the sewage? Two, has the approval been obtained from the corporation for constructing such a structure or not? After resolving the problem in this way, it is necessary to go to the Ministry of Home Affairs for approval. Therefore, some of the problems created at the local level should be solved at the local level. That is why the municipal governments are active. Even the municipal government, which is practicing federalism, has not been able to intervene.
Some of the problems created at the local level should be solved at the local level. That is why the municipal governments are active. Even the municipal government, which is practicing federalism, has not been able to intervene.
In particular, the problem we are facing now is that of the common people. Due to inadequate drainage systems, houses are submerged as soon as it rains. It is seen that black leaf is added around Ratna Park every six months. The road to the Prime Minister's residence Baluwatar and Singha Durbar has been paved. Therefore, our Prime Minister and Ministers think that the roads across the country should be like this. They think that even when we develop so much, they will not see.
The prime minister and ministers are not always busy. That is why there is a three-tier government. If municipal governments, in particular, were to play a role in addressing such difficulties at the local level, ordinary people like us would be able to think of other issues. There is no such thing as having to walk around thinking about which road is blocked.
