CHITWAN, July 7

Chitrawan municipality in Chitwan has emerged as the best city in terms of its environment-friendly local governance in a short span of time.

Chitrawan was declared a municipality after merging western Gunjanagar and Sharadanagar VDCs of the district on May 8, 2014.

An environment-friendly local governance programme was launched in January to develop the municipality as an eco-friendly zone.

Chitrawan municipality has contributed immensely in terms of sanitation by properly disposing waste.

Ram Chandra Aryal, Chief Executive Officer of the municipality, said the municipality had been managed well. He added that the government had granted 8.5 million rupees to develop eco-friendly governance in the municipality this fiscal.

The municipality has managed to build improvised chulo (stove) in as many as 297 households of 11 wards at cost of three lakh rupees. They also built 120 advanced sheds at a cost of six lakh rupees, installed solar lights on the road for 3.5 million rupees and invested one million rupees to construct a children’s park.

“We are planning to develop the municipality as an area of green trees and colourful flowers. We have spent around eight lakh rupees on plantation of trees and flowers in public places,” said Aryal. One million rupees has been spent on protection of Ranipokhari and another five lakh rupees for construction of other ponds.

Sanitation has been the top priority with construction of public toilets and establishment of bio as well as sanitation brigades in Tharu settlements.

A dumping site to manage household waste is being sought. The municipality has focused on sanitation in densely populated wards 2, 6, and 9. There are plans to declare 1,450 households of the wards eco-friendly.

Mahendra Raj Shrestha, chairman of Chitrawan Chambers of Commerce, said public awareness had increased massively after the area was declared a municipality.

There are 6,755 households in Chitrawan which covers an area of 37.56 square kilometres.