Kathmandu, September 24

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MOFALD) has issued a circular to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, 12 sub-metropolitan cities and 204 municipalities to deny construction completion certificate to any house that does not have an attached septic tank.

It has also directed the local bodies to initiate action again any technical employee, who recommends issuance of construction completion certificate to any house that does not have a septic tank.

According to the Basic Standards on Settlement Development, Urban Planning and Building Construction-2015, house or building constructed in municipal areas must build at least one attached septic tank as part of urban sanitation.

At the same time, the local bodies have been asked to collect the details of houses and buildings constructed without getting their blueprints approved from the concerned local bodies.

Earlier, the local bodies had been asked to furnish to the MoFALD the number of houses and buildings constructed in contravention of the building code, number of houses and buildings that got approval of blueprint but were constructed against it, number of houses and buildings constructed flouting the building code of municipalities and the number of houses and buildings constructed in violation of the standards.

The government has enforced the building code and other standards so as to build resilient communities in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes of April 25 and May 12 that resulted in huge loss of lives and property.

Any owner who bypasses the building code will be asked to demolish the illegal structures. If they fail to do so within the given time, the local authorities will themselves demolish the buildings. However, the expenses for the demolition will be borne by the house owners.

“We have written to the local bodies to seal the houses or buildings constructed without the approval of blue print, and against the standards and National Building Code before causing the owners to demolish them. The name and photo of house owners flouting the rules will also be published on the website of the ministry,” said an official at Municipality Planning and Management Section of the MoFALD.