Thapa clarifies on stay on IT Park operation

Kavre, May 11

A week later after the operation of the Banepa-based IT Park was halted on the direct order of the concerned ministry, the Minister for Science and Technology Shibalal Thapa today explained that the government could not allow use of the facility to a private organisation for free.

The facility that had largely been useless after being developed 11 years ago came into operation about a month ago after the Information and Technology Department of the park had struck an agreement with Kathmandu University, Cloud Himalaya and Softech Foundation on May 6.

As per the agreement, KU had also initiated work to launch an incubation centre and a school there, while Softech Foundation and Cloud Himalaya were planning to run activities related to software development and a data centre.

“The ministry didn’t have any malicious intent. We had to do so as KU was not paying any rent for the facility and we couldn’t let a private organisation and university like KU that charges huge fees from its students avail of the expensive facility for free,” Thapa argued, adding, “How can it say that it wouldn’t pay rent for using the facility that the government built by spending huge amount of resources?”

To bring the facility, supposed to be the largest in the entire South Asia into re-operation, the minister has also formed a three-member investigation committee with the mandate to submit its report in a fortnight.

On his part, KU registrar Bhola Thapa made it clear that the university was meaning to use the buildings in the park as per the directives laid down by the government for operation of the park.

“There is nothing illegal and wrong in this case. In line with the provision in the directives, we would provide 10 per cent scholarship to the government in each stream we ran from the facility,” he said.

Earlier, IT department about a week ago had written to the university authorities and two other organisations informing about the stay on the agreement.