Make the valley a heritage city

The Himalayan Times

11 June 2015

Make the valley a heritage city

It was interesting to read Kapil P. Lohani’s article “Relocating the capital” (THT, 8 June, Page 8). This issue should be seriously deliberated and acted by the government and major political parties to shift capital elsewhere considering the recent massive devastation caused by 7.8 rector scale earthquake killing 8700 people and displacing more than 8 million others. Most of the government’s administrative buildings, CA building, Parliament Secretariat, Apex Court, Army Headquarter and hospitals have been badly damaged forcing them to operate their daily services through the makeshifts.  

The Kathmandu valley has been overly populated and is gradually transforming into an unplanned city with all sorts of mess. People started to flock to the Valley from all over the country for security reasons soon after the Maoists launched their insurgency and they continue flocking to the capital better job opportunity making it overcrowded. None of the previous governments had any clear visions and plans to control the haphazard urbanization, making it difficult to properly manage. The availability of land in Kathmandu valley has reached its saturation point leaving no space for shelters to the people affected in the time of natural disaster, like the recent killer earthquake.

Lohani has mentioned in his article that the Egyptian Government recently decided to shift the capital 50 kms east of Cairo within next five years citing massive congestion in the existing capital. Pakistan had also shifted its capital from Karanchi to Islamabad.  I think, time has come for our government and political parties to seriously think along these lines and come to consensus in shifting the capital to another potential area turning the Valley into green and heritage city which is famous for its Newari culture, arts and architecture.

Rai Biren Bangdel

Maharajgunj