• WORLD CITIES DAY
KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 31
Speakers at a programme organised on the occasion of World Cities Day today laid emphasis on environment-friendly development in urban areas. Nepal has been marking this day since 2019.
Member of the National Planning Commission Pushpa Raman Wagle stated that cities should focus on well-managed and environment-friendly development, adding that "Population in Nepal's 293 municipalities has reached over 62 per cent of the country's total population."
"Kathmandu valley should develop ideas for converting waste into valuable resources as the city is spending millions on waste management every year," Wagle said.
NPC's former vice-chairman Jagadish Chandra Pokharel said stakeholders should pay much attention to the development of urban areas and the announcement of municipality should not be merely for the purpose of tax collection.
Likewise, Chairman of High Powered Committee for Integrated Development of the Bagmati Civilisation Uddhab Prasad Timalsena said first priority should be given to river civilisation of the cities while working for development of urban areas.
He said air pollution in the river sites could be reduced if electronic vehicles were operated on the roads along the riverside.
Likewise, Joint-secretaries at the Ministry of Urban Development Bishnu Prasad Sharma, Padhma Kumar Mainali, among others, also expressed their views at the event.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 1, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
