In last year’s local elections, the people of Kathmandu voted for Balen Shah For him capital city The mayor of , who many people had thought would lose the election as an independent candidate.
The people of Kathmandu had high expectations for him after his victory. Apparently, it was a revolution that resulted in many young candidates winning the federal and provincial elections held in November of the same year.
However, Shah, lately, has faced criticism for several of his projects. But, this is the time for people in general to understand their intentions and limitations and have hope for the future. They need to support him and his agenda.
Balen Shah’s priorities and projects
The first thing Balen Shah focused on was the problem of pedestrian pavement encroachment. As the mayor of Kathmandu, his first responsibility is the welfare of his voters. He was right that all people should walk freely. Those who want to do business must rent a store, pay taxes, and do business. What’s wrong with that?
But, many prominent people criticized the mayor for that. In Kathmandu, there are not many open spaces for manage street vendors. So what is the role of the provincial and central governments? Isn’t it your duty to relocate them?
Then comes the endless problem of waste management. We have learned that it is a chronic problem, that it cannot be managed overnight. Yet, Balen Shah has made some efforts and we should appreciate that.
It is not the only problem in Kathmandu but also in other municipalities. Even as an engineer and mayor of Kathmandu, he is taking the initiative to manage the waste, but neither the provincial nor the central governments are helping to find suitable land. So the question is: is it only the mayor’s responsibility?
Likewise, all major metropolitan cities in the world have underground metro and parking facilities. Shah wishes to do underground parking in areas like Khulamanch but a handful of people are against. It does not mean that you should stop development work.
With the growth of the population, the number of people and vehicles has increased significantly, so it is natural to expand the roads, but few politicians oppose it. They were silent when the illegal constructions of people in general were removed, but they became violent when their constructions were removed. These illegal constructions were cleared according to the law and at the request of the local population. What’s wrong with that?
The problem of being Balen Shah
Mental pain may be less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more difficult to bear. Although Mayor Balen Shah has not said so publicly, he seems to have been directly or indirectly affected by it. He and his family may have received many threatening calls and abusive messages.
At present, it seems that only the metropolitan police are actively working and supporting the mayor. What about other departments? Your work or feedback is not seen on the ground. Mayors can set policies, but it is equally important to put those policies into action and monitor the results. Otherwise, the situation will be very similar to that in which many construction companies have not finished building roads or bridges for many years. Government staff members who are in charge of that particular task must comply with these.
Meanwhile, Balen Shah’s team has also did not receive enough support of the central government.
We only blame the politicians, but the staff is also responsible for the current state of our nation today. Despite being surrounded by many people, the independent mayor feels lonely. No one escapes pain, fear and suffering.
The show must go on
However, wisdom can arise from pain, courage can arise from fear and strength can arise from suffering, if we have the virtue of resilience. Let’s hope Mayor Balen Shah develops wisdom, courage and more strength.
Our system has three levels of government, and it is everyone’s collective responsibility to improve Kathmandu. He is trying his best for the development of Kathmandu but some people are creating obstacles.
But we all need to know that if it fails, the country will suffer.
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