Dorjee Khando
When talked about Nepal, it is mostly adored for the natural beauty it holds, the culture and the kindness of people. You see the snow-capped Himalayas where you want to dive in and walk into the luscious green forest with numerous experience you get to encounter as you pass by different trails.
These would be the events that you will come across when you travel to different places, but Kathmandu. The rides there could be bumpy and tedious, but it would be worth it for the scenery that it holds.
I had never thought of Nepal in that way until I had an epiphany one day as I traveled away from the city; I have mostly been in the city since my childhood. It was a short getaway away from the city. A bike ride which gave me a new sight of the country.
Once you cross Kathmandu, you realize the beauty Nepal has in store. The mess that you see in the city was being replaced with serenity. Kathmandu, our capital has its own beauty no doubt, but it seems to be degrading. The cultural sites, the people, the architecture here; they are all great, but the beauty I had seen outside was unlike those.
Kathmandu has a population over nine lakhs making it the largest urban mass in the city in Kathmandu Valley, which includes Kirtipur, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Madhyapur Thimi and smaller regions. The city has a population density of 20,288 people per square kilometer (52,550/square mile).
Cities except for Kathmandu weren’t developed some years back so people had to migrate to the capital for better education, jobs, lifestyle and many more. They came here for better opportunities and then resided here. They have their reasons, as many places in Nepal aren’t as developed nor there are any opportunities there.
Additioanl to that, the government hasn’t played the role of making a sustainable development in different aspects. They’ve neglected other cities so much that others had to leave their birth city in search of a better life. And now that they’ve all settled here, no one wants to return. The population of Kathmandu keeps on rising and other cities keep on decreasing. As a result, other cities look pollution-free and the beauty remains.
Had our government done their jobs perfectly, this wouldn’t be an issue now. The cities and the country as a whole would have been developed far more. The government is like the parent of all the public, and the negligence they’ve shown shows how far behind we are, as a country; its development.
Talking about development in Nepal and the role of the government being played here, we see the live evidence on how they work. The roads in Kathmandu are so pathetic that one dreads every day to leave their house. However, they need to travel through the bumpy and shitty road every day. Yet, the interesting part is, the routes where the minister go through are in pretty good condition making me wonder, if the development on road sectors only applies to the places where the ministers reside and not the lay people like us. Talking about development on such sites, its interesting how there’s been preparation going on with the BIMSTEC (Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Corporation) bringing together seven members states including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka from South Asia, and Myanmar and Thailand from Southeast Asia to help fast-track regional connectivity projects and push its Act East Policy.
Having such an event in our country, ministers from foreign land being present among us for a good change is a great achievement for us. But the fact that, the roads are being made just for their presence is absurd. I am a local here, and travleing around the city can be pretty harsh and tedious. Not just us, but everyone; from pedestrians to anyone who owns a vehicle.
These roads have been responsible for a number of deaths and those suffering from respiration diseases now. Pedestrians have to walk in roads filled with mud and small ponds every day to go fulfill their duties like study or job. These issues had not been solved for several months but just because some people are visiting for a couple of days, the roads are being pitched, painted and decorated within few hours. The government does not give a damn about the public but cares so much what other folks will think.
I knew that the road of Boudha, which is one of the muddiest in this rainy season, was being repaired and prepared to be pitched for their visit to Gokarna Forest Resort. The government had planned a banquet dinner at Gokarna Forest Resort in honor of the government heads coming to Nepal for the Fourth BIMSTEC Summit. But I recently came to know that the repair of the road has been canceled and the road remains the same. Instead, the government is preparing to fly the government heads on MI-17 helicopters of the Nepal Army.
Now, what does that put us in? Connectivity of the roads is one of the major problems that restricts a country from developing. Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and has got shittiest of roads. The only time I have seen an improvement in the road sector is when a foreign official visit and the roads are back to construction which hardly lasts for a year. Foreign ministers coming and the government trying their best to make them comfortable isn’t something I am against, but the fact that they are not thinking of us, the citizens, and our well being is something that I detest.
– Keyur Khadka
