Nepal

KMC Mayor Balen completes 100 days in office, says footpath is solely for pedestrians

KathmanduPati September 04, 2022

File photo

KATHMANDU – Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) mayor Balendra Shah has said that during his 100 days in office, the local government has instilled a ray of hope among the public.

On the occasion of 100 days as KMC Mayor today, he opined that rather than he as a person, the people would instead assess his performance. He said he was ready to face criticisms for sometimes for his moves, but was not ever ready to deviate from the mission to find a sustainable solution to the Metropolis’ issues and ways for its proper management.

Stating that the Metropolis continued its drive to demolish unauthorised structures in the town, the mayor said, “We just want the justification of structures. Their use must to serve the purpose they were constructed for. We are not ready to move back in terms of the implementing the rule in this condition. “

Defending the local government’s decision to remove footpath business, he said footpath is solely for pedestrians and they should not be encroached in the name of business and for other reasons. “They should remain unexploited for proper management of the town. The local government did what it was supposed to do to control footpath encroachment.”

As he claimed, the results of the removal of footpath trade stalls from Baneshwor and Asan area are positive. According to the mayor, the Metropolis has allocated Rs 10 million for e-sports.

Giving his statement about the plan to construct a statue of the late Yama Budhha, a Nepali rapper, he said the discourse on the matter is positive to prove that the Rap culture is capable of encouraging a large section of one generation of the society to seek a career in the field. As Mayor Shah said a single person has different roles in public and private life and he is cautious that his action should not leave any negative mark on his public life.

Though the progress in the waste management was not as per the expectations, he claimed he could bring the issue to a public discourse which, as he expressed, could help identify the issue in a real sense and find a durable solution to the long-standing problem.