KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 9
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development, Prakash Man Singh, has asserted that the government is positive on formulating the Act necessary for the development of the urban areas.
Receiving a nine-point memorandum submitted by the CPN (UML)'S Department of Urban Development at the Ministry in Singha Durbar today, DPM Singh expressed the commitment to enact the necessary Act and implement it.
He said there are several Acts that have become obsolete in the changed context and the government is working in a planned way to formulating timely Acts.
"I am holding discussions on enacting the required Acts to expedite the development and construction after I assumed the charge of the Ministry. Although the Act has been formulated, we have not been able to go for its implementation," he added.
He reiterated that the government is making preparation so as to bring the Urban Development Act.
According to him, the government is focused on marketization of agriculture productions by improving the agriculture sector, education, infrastructure development, among other sectors in the rural areas to stop the growing rural to urban migration.
DPM Singh said the suggestions given by the UML Department of Urban Development would be studied and the feasible recommendations implemented.
UML Urban Development Department Chief Sher Bahadur Tamang said the Supreme Court's mandamus has created a situation in which 600 thousand citizens in the Kathmandu Valley would be displaced. He stressed on the need of determining the standard which will not displace the citizens while also taking the natural balance into consideration.
Tamang demanded a revision in the current standard, drawing the attention of the government and the DPM for making legal arrangements for the same while referring to the Supreme Court decision banning construction of structures on an additional 20 metres of the river bank in the Kathmandu Valley.
A Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor-level decision, on August 8, following the release of the full text of the Court's order, issued a notice not to construct structures on additional 20 metres of land alongside the rivers.
The nine-point memorandum submitted by the Department calls for revising the Urban Development Policy, 2080 BS, the Integrated Urban Development Act, the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority Act and the Waste Management Act.
