Kathmandu, September 24:

Minister for Physical Planning and Works Gopal Man Shrestha today urged the urban planners to come up with a long-term vision in new plans for the country’s capital.

“We all know that we can’t stop population growth in the capital. That means we have to make plans thinking about how the city will look like in twenty-thirty years,” he said at a programme organised to mark the World Habitat Day.

The World Habitat Day is celebrated on October 2, but since the day falls on the festival of Dashain, the ministry decided to mark it today. The World Habitat Day is being celebrated worldwide with the slogan ‘Cities: The Magnet of Hopes’. Shrestha complained that land encroachers have been active in the city and no public area is left for greenery.

Vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission Dr Jagadish Chandra Pokhrel said that an urban development strategy was being developed with technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank.

Secretary at the Ministry for Physical Planning and Works, Narayan Prasad Silwal, said since all the open areas of the city have already been occupied there is no possibility of developing the city freely.