Kathmandu, April 15

Neelakantha Municipality inaugurated an Open Local Government web portal and mobile application named ‘Mero Neelakantha Mero Mobile’ amid a function organised at Office of District Coordination Committee, Dhading,  today.

The digital system focuses on opening local governance to promote transparency, mutual accountability and citizen participation in the municipality. Using the ‘Talk to the Mayor’ feature in the digital platform, citizens of Neelakantha can directly contact the mayor’s office using their social media account.

Furthermore, the website and the mobile app enable citizens to access information on municipal services, their procedures, required documents, estimated time of completion and tariffs by simply browsing through the web portal or mobile application. This information can also be accessed offline using the mobile app.

To maintain transparency, the municipality has opened all its budget under the new account headings prescribed by the Office of the Auditor General. The system is user friendly, enabling general people to view important information such as government offices as well as schools, hospitals on an interactive map. The citizens of Neelakantha can now see the projects proposed in their area and also track its progress from project proposal to procurement to construction to completion. These projects can also be viewed on an interactive map.

Dinesh Thapaliya, chief guest of the programme and secretary at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, said, “It is impossible to realise development without using ICTs in our new methods.” He also said the app would be developed further in collaboration with MoFAGA in a bid to make it useful and uniform for all municipalities in Nepal.

Mayor of Neelakantha Municipality Bhim Prasad Dhungana said, “We are proud to be the first amongst 753 municipalities to launch apps with such features. We will be prouder if the remaining 752 municipalities find it useful too. That would be the gift from this municipality.”

Executive director of Kathmandu Living Labs Nama Raj Budhathoki said, “With the use of ICTs, we can transcend the traditional constraints of time and space. These tools enable us to take information to citizens, rather than the other way round.” The app is developed by Kathmandu Living Labs.