Kathmandu, August 3

Kathmandu Metropolitan City has allocated a budget of Rs 10 million to formulate policy and strategy for urban regeneration of city areas in the capital.

The city’s core areas are congested with badly planned buildings and settlements. The monuments of Hanumandhoka Durbar Square, along with temples, historical structures, and traditional mud as well as brick houses in the city were destroyed or damaged in the April 25 earthquake.

According to Coordinator of Kathmandu Urban Regeneration Committee Project Indra Man Singh Suwal, the structures that survived the temblor will be revamped through urban regeneration without making any changes to their outer and inner designs.

The buildings and monuments in the city’s core areas reflect the culture, tradition, architecture, and settlement of indigenous Newar community dating back to Licchavi, Malla, and Shah eras.

The regeneration project will carried out through house pooling process with consent from the house owners. “Some of the buildings that do not have historical and cultural significance will be demolished to increase spaces between the cluster of traditional and historical houses with consent from local house owners,” Suwal said, stressing that participation of indigenous locals was crucial to safeguard the traditional and cultural structures as well as houses.

The open spaces will have some traditional chowks for recreation and religious devotional activities. “Teams of experts will convince locals to participate in urban regeneration of the city’s core areas. Their feedback will determine the implementation of urban regeneration,” he said.

Rudra Sing Tamang, chief executive officer at KMC, informed that about 51 applications had been received from residents of Ason and Thahiti agreeing to regeneration.

He added that KMC was ready to invest up to Rs 200 million for the regeneration project. Uttar Kumar Regmi, chief of Department of Physical Development and Construction in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, informed that KMC will facilitate the project legally with the support of central government for physical infrastructure such as roads, streets, alleys, open spaces, electricity, drinking water supply lines and drainage systems.