<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101124/63720a1a9c7e80680e0b5582jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640"/><figcaption>Photo: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>While I was working in the National Planning Commission, I was assigned a branch officer to assist me professionally. I found after we began working together that my assistant neither knew how to access emails or set up my daily schedule.All my assistant would do was pore over books to pass exams in order to get promoted. The promotion would go through, not as a result of my subordinate’s professional abilities, but on the basis of a three-hour exam filled with pages of rote-learning.I have constantly questioned how this process is justified.This is one of many examples of the procedural inconsistencies that I have encountered upon a close analysis of Nepal’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/business-bureaucracy-and-politicians-all-plundering-the-chure/">bureaucratic mechanism</a>— both as someone in government and out of it.The primary responsibility of a civil servant is to implement the law, and above all, serve the people to the bet of their ability. These responsibilities, however, seem to be contrary to the attitude of many Nepali government employees.Indeed, I have often noticed that they have an <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/One-To-Many/just-because-there-is-draft-constitution,521" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">air of superiority</a> over ordinary citizens — as if the public they are supposed to serve as being beneath them and the positions they occupy.This is not to say that there are not capable, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-local-governments-lead-from-the-front/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">diligent public officials</a> serving the people. But they are heavily outnumbered by the unqualified, under-motivated and incompetent. They get to their posts through these perfunctory tests, personal connection, or political affiliation.This <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/corruption-deep-rooted-in-government/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">political-bureaucratic collusion</a> exists even after new employees enter government service and after their retirement, where they get to hop from one government commission to another.Much prestige is assigned to the fact that somebody has passed Nepal’s public service exam. It guarantees one financial and job security for the next two decades. But as much importance is given to the tests, there is little way through which the exam can evaluate if potential government staff can handle the responsibility of their work.And once one passes the exams and enters public service, there is no practice of evaluating whether employees are up-to-date with the technology required to fulfil their jobs, nor is there any mechanism to evaluate them on the basis of their work.In fact, any consequences that government employees might face for their professional actions is when they get transferred, wherein they are sent off to work in remote districts. Ironically, the work done during their transfer later becomes a basis for one’s promotion, making the entire process a reward instead of punishment.Access to public service in Nepal depends largely upon the leverage that one has. Indeed, if I were to go into any government office without my government identification, it would be difficult to access any service.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/everything-is-political/">“Everything is political”</a>, Durga KarkiWhile my MP badge greases the wheels of bureaucracy these days, those who are not in my position need to instead grease palms to get things done. And others who know people in the right places might make back channel ‘arrangements’ to get what they need.The onus of streamlining our <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/One-To-Many/%20civil-servants-holding-PR-is-not-a-problem-but-lack-of-accountability-is,535" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deteriorating bureaucracy </a>lies in both civil servants and political leadership who seek votes through promises of ‘change’. Once they get elected, the success or failure of the political leadership depends on how their subordinates translate their vision into action.In Nepal, the effect of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/reinstate-remove-repeat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">changing governments</a> extends to the bureaucracy. There have been instances where public service workers have thwarted the plans of politicians by citing their agenda as not being in line with the law.Conversely, politicians have often unnecessarily intervened to transfer employees who are not aligned with their party interests, or refuse to carry out unethical actions.As a result, public service workers use precious time to question whether they should fulfil their professional responsibilities or play nice with their new bosses by not rocking the boat.Government officers have a duty to be objective and transparent about the work they are doing. They need to be well informed about the legal and political red tape in the bureaucracy since they are the ones who draft bills that are tabled in Parliament.The bills therefore serve the interest and preferences of a few individuals working in civil service.  The role of a parliamentarian is limited to voting either for or against the bill.We must now focus on if — or how much — discretionary power we should give to civil servants. Nepal’s Parliament is discussing this matter at present, along with other reforms to the work culture of public service officers.Indeed, the entire bureaucratic system needs a complete overhaul and things will only improve when employees are transferred, promoted, rewarded and punished on the basis of the outcome of their work.It is also a good idea for public offices to adopt a system of Terms of Reference (TOR) wherein an employee in a certain position must complete a targeted amount of work while holding a position.The nature of public service means that civil servants are permanently a part of government. They have many facilities at their disposal: from separate hospitals, financial security during crises, and opportunities to travel abroad. All of this is paid for with Nepali taxpayers’ money.Nepal’s public service workers must be made to understand that bureaucratic problems within our system of government must under no circumstances interfere with the services that Nepali taxpayers are entitled to.Read also, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/all-politics-is-local/">All politics is local</a>, Sahina ShresthaBimala Rai Paudyal, PhD, is a member of the National Assembly.

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Nepal's uncivil servants

<img width="1044" height="1258" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121136/636b90ca9c7e80680e06f0adjpeg.jpg" alt=""/>The Covid-19 crisis has accelerated the digitisation process of government services from <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14608#.YLXHbC8RoWo">telehealth</a> to telework, online meetings to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/learning-during-the-pandemic-in-nepal/">remote education</a>. Rarely in modern history have we seen so many virtual experiments in governance around the world rolled out at such a pace and scale.Industrial age governance, which dominated public sector organisations in the past century acted as a drag on digital transformation. But the pandemic has hastened the shift towards a digital economy.Nepal’s own <a href="https://mocit.gov.np/application/resources/admin/uploads/source/EConsultation/EN%20Digital%20Nepal%20Framework%20V8.4%2015%20July%20%202019.pdf">Digital Nepal Framework (DGN)</a> came into the policy radar during the tenure of Yubaraj Khatiwada who held the two important cabinet portfolios related to the agenda- Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. After Khatiwada was appointed ambassador to the United States, apart from one-off <a href="https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/government-releases-full-version-of-nagarik-app">progress</a> , focus has not been on tougher issues of fundamentally re-engineering public service delivery and institutionalising digital services. The momentum has therefore been lost on planning for a digital framework, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/online-classes-may-widen-digital-divide/">addressing the digital divide</a> between municipalities and inadequate digital skills, the lack of governance framework, and absence of champions in the government.  The DGN requires strong inter-departmental ownership, which it has yet to receive. It has not been popular with senior bureaucrats, and department bosses because it tramples on their fiefdoms. The steering committee organised to take it forward is under-resourced, and extrapolates the DGN framework document as a replica translation of an IT plan developed to strengthen public service delivery in the country. Whilst digital and IT are not the same, the DGN is designed to establish an overall superstructure for digital services, often requiring a high-level view of interactions among people, process and digital infrastructure.Says <a href="https://twitter.com/WorldBankNepal/status/1296264530633224192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1296264530633224192%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F54iventures.com%2Fa-journey-accelerated-by-covid19%2F">Faris Hadad Zervos</a>, country director of the World Bank for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka: “As<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nepal?src=hashtag_click"> Nepal</a> responds to the Covid-19 crisis, digital development will play an even greater role to build back better, decrease inequality, increase access and opportunity.” <img width="640" height="900" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121136/636b90ce9c7e80680e06f0aejpeg.jpg" alt="">Very few  subnational governments in Nepal today have the required digital infrastructure. The magnitude of the challenge is evident as <a href="http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/485591576101383264/pdf/Nepal-Development-Update-Envisioning-a-Future-Data-Ecosystem-in-Federal-Nepal.pdf">a survey of 115 local governments</a> showed that many rural and urban municipalities lacked internet access or electricity via the national grid or generators” <figure><img width="745" height="445" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121136/636b90d09c7e80680e06f0afjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> Internet and electricity access for local government. Source: Nepal Development Update (2019), the World Bank </figcaption></figure>Most local governments do not have enough fiscal cushion to finance <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/now-a-digital-karnali/">digital connectivity</a> and rely on federal and provincial contributions. Persistent federal-municipal divide is therefore not helping digital transformation. These limitations will hinder future connectivity, and widen the digital divide. Effort will need to go beyond infrastructure, however, to also provide enough incentives to government agencies/actors, businesses and households to connect with the full range of digital services. National and local leadership will need to address existing barriers to adoption, such as the lack of digital skills and capabilities.Institutionalising digital services can help the government improve delivery of health and education in geophysically diverse Nepal to ‘build back better’ after the pandemic, thus supporting social inclusion and decentralisation in the young republic. In addition to an inclusive economy, digitising government services can make the country attractive to foreign investors. <figure><img width="768" height="335" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121136/636b90d29c7e80680e06f0b0jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>E-Government Development Index and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Source: IMF (2021) - How e-Government services can pay dividends</figcaption></figure>Although Nepal has a relatively high Digital Adoption Index and a modest Global Innovation Index in its peer-group, the use of digital signatures, and governance framework considered as the bedrocks to advance digitisation of government services is at a nascent stage. The UN E-Government Development Index 2020 ranks Nepal 132nd  among 193 countries on e-government development.  <figure><img width="760" height="450" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121136/636b90d49c7e80680e06f0b1jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Digital Adoption Index and Global Innovation Index. Source: Nepal Development Update (2019), the World Bank </figcaption></figure>Of course, it is not realistic to expect that the government will leap-frog to higher levels of digital maturity overnight. Institutionalising new technologies and digital governance will require coordinated action between the  government, development partners and the societal ecosystem as a whole.The post-pandemic reality will require the Nepal government to take a policy and regulatory lead in digitising services. The government will have to lead by example synchronising an enabling environment for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-e-shopping-booms-under-covid-19/">e-payment systems</a>, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/long-distance-medicine-in-nepal,3521">telehealth</a>, demand for digital services, including<a href="https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2020/09/14/the-future-of-the-classroom-is-online"> online education</a>. We must not let the past shackle us and move confidently ahead to implement transformational change in state services through digital processes. As <a href="https://www.ynharari.com/">Yuval Noah Harari</a> says: ‘Future historians will see Covid-19 as a turning point in the history of the 21st century. But which way we turn is up to us.’  For Nepal, as immobility grips the economy and traditional processes are disengaged, it is fitting to ask if the government will cling to the past, or advance towards a bold new digital future.  Ashutosh M Dixit is an economist based in Nepal.

Covid crisis can spur digitisation

<figure><img width="800" height="534" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011114/636ccce29c7e80680e08bc47jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>For those growing up in the 1980s in Kathmandu, the 'Green Belt' became a familiar term as poplars rose up along the Ring Road. Over the years, this strip of green gave Kathmandu some breathing space as the city grew at breakneck speed.Slowly, encroachment, carelessness and road expansion decimated the trees. The poplars were the first to go, then the jacarandas that lined the streets were cut, too.From a Green Belt Kathmandu has become a Dust Bowl. But all is not lost, the tree-lined Darbar Marg to neighbourhood beautification at Narayan Chaur have shown that if communities get together it is possible to revive the Valley’s lungs. Kathmandu will benefit from developing a series of linked water bodies, open spaces, parks and patches of urban forests, by not only connecting fragmented green spaces but also increase their <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/ecosystem-services" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.britannica.com/science/ecosystem-services&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1613961396459000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHNy6efdfO2ocEdezKqw7uT7zdIvA">ecosystem services</a>, a concept that gives economic value to restoring nature. <figure><img width="900" height="600" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011114/636ccce59c7e80680e08bc48jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Lack of open, green spaces takes a daily toll on the lives of the residents who have limited space for walking or other social activities. The abject lack of greenery in Kathmandu is a contributing factor to not just physiological but also psychological stress.  Sprawling, insensitive and haphazard development over the years have over-run what remained of open spaces. More recently, Kathmandu has experienced annual flooding during monsoon and extreme temperatures, a new phenomenon for the city’s residents. According to the World Economic Forum, access to green open space and a feeling of social connection creates liveable and vibrant cities. The small open spaces that remain are not a result of planning but due to litigation (Tinkune) or neglect (Tundikhkel). But even here, they provide people a place to unwind and de-stress with friends and family. The new corridors long the Bagmati, Dhobi Khola and other rivulets have constricted the floodplains, but at least the banks are tree-lined. <figure><img width="1620" height="1326" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011114/636ccce79c7e80680e08bc49jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Tree have many obvious positive aspects like emitting oxygen, muffling noise pollution, moderating temperature. But also little-known benefits like releasing essential oils like <a href="http://forest-therapy.net/healthbenefits.html#:~:text=The%20Power%20of%20Phytoncides,from%20harmful%20insects%20and%20germs." data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://forest-therapy.net/healthbenefits.html%23:~:text%3DThe%2520Power%2520of%2520Phytoncides,from%2520harmful%2520insects%2520and%2520germs.&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1613961396459000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEBeJr9Bu62qWjZE3KlyEK_kbeYiQ">phytoncides</a>, which help physical and mental wellbeing in humans.  While Kathmandu has not yet seen a campaign that calls for the protection and preservation of nature, we have in the recent years seen some movement around keeping open spaces intact. For many Kathmandu residents, the realisation sank in after the 2015 earthquake. “It is important to tell the masses how our open spaces are being encroached upon and why they should be preserved,” says Vijaya Shrestha, who coordinated the <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/valley/2019/11/03/occupy-tundikhel-hopes-to-reclaim-the-public-spaces-that-are-being-encroached-upon" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://kathmandupost.com/valley/2019/11/03/occupy-tundikhel-hopes-to-reclaim-the-public-spaces-that-are-being-encroached-upon&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1613961396459000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHdN6c71qc2W6gJlrcRR7hbLQJmRg">Occupy Tundikhel campaign</a>. Organised by a youth group, it was an attempt to spread awareness about the importance of open spaces of which Tundikhel was a prominent symbol. The historical and cultural importance of this once-vast maidan pre-dates its function as a military parade ground. But Tundikhel has been steadily encroached upon by the Army, and it is now only a sliver of its former expanse.  <figure><img width="900" height="600" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011114/636ccceb9c7e80680e08bc4ajpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Restoring it to its original boundary would not only provide Kathmandu with lungs, but also preserve its historical significance, as well as serve as a refuge in future disasters as it did in the 1934 and 2015 earthquakes. The Kathmandu Valley Development Authority has identified <a href="http://www.kvda.gov.np/documents/Document_201603060220.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.kvda.gov.np/documents/Document_201603060220.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1613961396459000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG815pF4cE_1ijidwisGrC2XpBHOA">887 open spaces</a> within the Kathmandu Valley: 488 sites in Kathmandu, 345 in Lalitpur, and 53 in Bhaktapur. Among these, 58% of the area is usable for public activities. These open spaces vary in size, services, and function. But identifying open spaces alone cannot guarantee their protection unless the feeling of ownership can be developed among the communities.Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has been developing a plan to carve out 36 parks of varying sizes and services in the city, in collaboration with 11 municipalities to develop other green spaces around the valley. So far, the plans have been restricts to maps and their sustainable management will be a challenge. Issues of ownership are unclear, and the lack of belongingness can lead to poor maintenance, commercialisation and encroachment. In some cases, open space development has turned into <a href="https://books.openedition.org/pressesinalco/457?lang=en#:~:text=For%20Baviskar%20(2011a)%2C%20bourgeois,conservation%20agenda%20(protected%20parks%2C%20sanctuaries" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://books.openedition.org/pressesinalco/457?lang%3Den%23:~:text%3DFor%2520Baviskar%2520(2011a)%252C%2520bourgeois,conservation%2520agenda%2520(protected%2520parks%252C%2520sanctuaries&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1613961396459000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH0o98Ms0HISZLOJy4IV1uO901PeA">bourgeois environmentalism</a>--with high boundary walls, restricted opening times, and fees that favour a few well-off people. This deprives ordinary citizens from access to greenery. The valley’s open spaces are fragmented, and unplanned urbanisation has left them disconnected with each other. They can be linked through <a href="http://www.futura-sciences.us/dico/d/sustainable-development-ecological-corridor-50000683/#:~:text=An%20ecological%20corridor%2C%20which%20is,dependent%20on%20a%20single%20environment" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.futura-sciences.us/dico/d/sustainable-development-ecological-corridor-50000683/%23:~:text%3DAn%2520ecological%2520corridor%252C%2520which%2520is,dependent%2520on%2520a%2520single%2520environment&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1613961396459000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG_gwjfaTuWzzPYurx3rDO8_4STqQ">ecological corridors</a> that help plants and animals spread, migrate, as well as rehabilitate environments. <figure><img width="900" height="600" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011114/636ccced9c7e80680e08bc4bjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Kathmandu’s river corridors have been designed purely for vehicular traffic. However, we can develop riverbanks as green corridors—which would also help reduce flooding. Last spring’s colourful blossoms along the river corridor show what is possible. Likewise, Kathmandu’s Ring Road and major road networks can create and connect green spaces. Tree-lined streetscapes will create an ecological corridor, providing a continuous shaded path to the urban population, and a movement corridor for birds, insects, and small creatures. Technically, connecting green spaces is possible if the city’s environment department stands up strong against destructive development. The bigger challenge is a social and political willingness to participate in preserving and taking ownership of nature’s aesthetics.Nilima Thapa Shrestha is an architect and urban planner. <img width="800" height="534" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011114/636cccf19c7e80680e08bc4cjpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="900" height="600" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011114/636cccf59c7e80680e08bc4djpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="900" height="593" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011114/636cccf89c7e80680e08bc4ejpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="800" height="534" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111011114/636cccfa9c7e80680e08bc4fjpeg.jpg" alt="">Kathmandu’s river corridors have been designed purely for vehicular traffic. However, we can develop riverbanks as green corridors—which would also help reduce flooding. Last spring’s colourful blossoms along the river corridor show what is possible. Likewise, Kathmandu’s Ring Road and major road networks can create and connect green spaces. Tree-lined streetscapes will create an ecological corridor, providing a continuous shaded path to the urban population, and a movement corridor for birds, insects, and small creatures. Technically, connecting green spaces is possible if the city’s environment department stands up strong against destructive development. The bigger challenge is a social and political willingness to participate in preserving and taking ownership of nature’s aesthetics. Nilima Thapa Shrestha is an architect and urban planner.

A green city is a smart city

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181144/636be73c9c7e80680e0877ecjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1044" height="1384"/>The brutal murder of school principal Rajendra Shrestha in the remote village of Miklajung of Morang district this week is a cruel reminder of the decade of insurgency in this country. And that was perhaps the intention of the Maoist-inspired Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) that claimed responsibility.The CPN led by Netra Bikram Chand is not to be confused with the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), formed after the fusion of the erstwhile UML and mainstream Maoists led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal in 2017.Chand split from Dahal in 2012 and vowed to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-a-crime-not-to-call-it-terrorism/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-a-crime-not-to-call-it-terrorism/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEcJ9tyv5dkJd6SzXiZglSI6JTECw">continue the armed struggle</a>. After arson attacks, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/extortion-in-a-federal-state/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/extortion-in-a-federal-state/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEjw54mDpWgu7dejBAOKfr-EpOdeA">extortion</a> and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/yes-we-put-that-bomb/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/yes-we-put-that-bomb/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHjKpZ3ELYaH5c98_Ey3ionYaT3Pg">explosions</a>, the CPN was banned two years ago. Today, almost exactly a quarter of a century after the insurgency began, and fifteen years after it ended, the message from the Morang murder is that the revolution never ended.Indeed, several commentators have drawn parallels between the murder of Rajendra Shrestha, and the summary execution of another headmaster – <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17894#.X9GFqS8RoWo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D17894%23.X9GFqS8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG1Cw3RC7y-zVnGRtYHqo7BqIDNKw">Muktinath Adhikari in Lamjung on 16 January 2002</a>.Both were abducted, taken nearby and killed. The intention was to <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16781#.X9GFry8RoWo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D16781%23.X9GFry8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFO9zXvfECI8gaABZFqiVUzWVAOeg">strike terror</a> in the population, and make an example of someone who refused to be cowed down by violence. Besides being a teacher, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=12522#.X9GFuS8RoWo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D12522%23.X9GFuS8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGYySG0R-KeC9nFSbaxcS8_yJzNBA">Adhikari was a human rights activist</a>. Shrestha is accused of being a police informant.Rajendra Shrestha’s killing is murder. It is not a war crime, because no war has been declared. It cannot be labelled ‘revolutionary justice’, it is a criminal act. It is not a reaction to structural violence, such crimes have no place in politics. Like any other killing, it must be investigated, perpetrators apprehended and tried in a court of law.What is Netra Bikram Chand trying to achieve anyway? There are plenty of avenues available to him within Nepal’s current dispensation to launch a political career.In fact, the field is wide open to mount a political challenge against Dahal and his former Maoist associates who have failed miserably to deliver on the utopian promises of the revolution in the past 15 years despite being at the helm of the party and government. That is, unless they are being egged on by other forces at a time when royalists are on the march, and geopolitical tensions are rising.Re-igniting a conflict now would not just be ruinous for the country, it would force Nepalis to relive the sorrows of the decade of war. The violence is also counterproductive for Chand’s own cause, if indeed there is a larger cause he is fighting for.We doubt it, though. Chand’s divergent path was a result of a falling out with Dahal, and a failure to reach agreement on sharing the spoils of war. Chand felt he was not rewarded a position commensurate with the sacrifices he made during the conflict. And there are quite a few in the rank and file who still think the revolution was abandoned halfway, and their contributions were never recognised.Chand is also trying to tap into growing public disenchantment with the government, even though he probably knows that most Nepalis now have no stomach for violence. In that sense, the murder, extortion and terrorism spree is just a bargaining chip to propel him to the corridors of power.There is precedent, after all: many of the comrades Chand fought shoulder to shoulder with during the conflict are now ministers or senior party functionaries, power brokers, or beneficiaries of state facilities. The message is that if you kill enough people you can leapfrog to power, and will not have to <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/No-justice-yet-for-the-victims-of-peoples-war,2984" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/No-justice-yet-for-the-victims-of-peoples-war,2984&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGL-C71hgYbCf0u9sEzu4rpWbE4ow">answer for your crimes</a>.The driving force of most crime in this country today -- corruption on a grand scale, abuse of power, and even the epidemic of domestic violence, rape, abduction and homicide – is <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/editorial/state-of-impunity,2976" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/editorial/state-of-impunity,2976&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGoVQuW85VhVQzHZ1rJkVT7fRV6rQ">impunity</a>. If people can literally get away with murder, there is no deterrent anymore.Netra Bikram Chand and his followers are also encouraged by the failure of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-runs-out-of-excuses-to-address-war-crimes/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-runs-out-of-excuses-to-address-war-crimes/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFu9Gtkg_kThaShH-8b7KVuVJ_r5Q">transitional justice process</a>. Dahal openly and publicly admits to being responsible for “only 5,000” of the 17,000 killed during the conflict, and yet nothing happens to him. No one was ever arrested or tried for <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=12522#.X9GFuS8RoWo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D12522%23.X9GFuS8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGYySG0R-KeC9nFSbaxcS8_yJzNBA">Muktinath Adhikari’s murder</a>, or the tens of thousands of other <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/One-To-Many/victims-waiting-for-justice,698" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/One-To-Many/victims-waiting-for-justice,698&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHcDmN_H5VpDDONQZbCCaMt6LcwEA">killings and disappearances</a> by both sides.The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-transition-to-peace-needs-justice/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-transition-to-peace-needs-justice/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEhIZms_cEpsTli0TuAX_cm8V_QHQ">Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the Commission on the Investigation of Enforced Disappearances</a> are just for show. History is repeating itself. But it is a farce. Nepalis have no wish to return to the barbarism of war.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-a-crime-not-to-call-it-terrorism/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-a-crime-not-to-call-it-terrorism/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEcJ9tyv5dkJd6SzXiZglSI6JTECw">It is a crime not to call it terrorism</a> by Kunda Dixit

History on replay

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191112/636bee404b0ad905ca02ef35jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1044" height="1384"/>The brutal murder of school principal Rajendra Shrestha in the remote village of Miklajung of Morang district this week is a cruel reminder of the decade of insurgency in this country. And that was perhaps the intention of the Maoist-inspired Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) that claimed responsibility.The CPN led by Netra Bikram Chand is not to be confused with the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), formed after the fusion of the erstwhile UML and mainstream Maoists led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal in 2017.Chand split from Dahal in 2012 and vowed to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-a-crime-not-to-call-it-terrorism/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-a-crime-not-to-call-it-terrorism/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEcJ9tyv5dkJd6SzXiZglSI6JTECw">continue the armed struggle</a>. After arson attacks, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/extortion-in-a-federal-state/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/extortion-in-a-federal-state/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEjw54mDpWgu7dejBAOKfr-EpOdeA">extortion</a> and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/yes-we-put-that-bomb/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/yes-we-put-that-bomb/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHjKpZ3ELYaH5c98_Ey3ionYaT3Pg">explosions</a>, the CPN was banned two years ago. Today, almost exactly a quarter of a century after the insurgency began, and fifteen years after it ended, the message from the Morang murder is that the revolution never ended.Indeed, several commentators have drawn parallels between the murder of Rajendra Shrestha, and the summary execution of another headmaster – <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17894#.X9GFqS8RoWo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D17894%23.X9GFqS8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG1Cw3RC7y-zVnGRtYHqo7BqIDNKw">Muktinath Adhikari in Lamjung on 16 January 2002</a>.Both were abducted, taken nearby and killed. The intention was to <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16781#.X9GFry8RoWo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D16781%23.X9GFry8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFO9zXvfECI8gaABZFqiVUzWVAOeg">strike terror</a> in the population, and make an example of someone who refused to be cowed down by violence. Besides being a teacher, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=12522#.X9GFuS8RoWo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D12522%23.X9GFuS8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGYySG0R-KeC9nFSbaxcS8_yJzNBA">Adhikari was a human rights activist</a>. Shrestha is accused of being a police informant.Rajendra Shrestha’s killing is murder. It is not a war crime, because no war has been declared. It cannot be labelled ‘revolutionary justice’, it is a criminal act. It is not a reaction to structural violence, such crimes have no place in politics. Like any other killing, it must be investigated, perpetrators apprehended and tried in a court of law.What is Netra Bikram Chand trying to achieve anyway? There are plenty of avenues available to him within Nepal’s current dispensation to launch a political career.In fact, the field is wide open to mount a political challenge against Dahal and his former Maoist associates who have failed miserably to deliver on the utopian promises of the revolution in the past 15 years despite being at the helm of the party and government. That is, unless they are being egged on by other forces at a time when royalists are on the march, and geopolitical tensions are rising.Re-igniting a conflict now would not just be ruinous for the country, it would force Nepalis to relive the sorrows of the decade of war. The violence is also counterproductive for Chand’s own cause, if indeed there is a larger cause he is fighting for.We doubt it, though. Chand’s divergent path was a result of a falling out with Dahal, and a failure to reach agreement on sharing the spoils of war. Chand felt he was not rewarded a position commensurate with the sacrifices he made during the conflict. And there are quite a few in the rank and file who still think the revolution was abandoned halfway, and their contributions were never recognised.Chand is also trying to tap into growing public disenchantment with the government, even though he probably knows that most Nepalis now have no stomach for violence. In that sense, the murder, extortion and terrorism spree is just a bargaining chip to propel him to the corridors of power.There is precedent, after all: many of the comrades Chand fought shoulder to shoulder with during the conflict are now ministers or senior party functionaries, power brokers, or beneficiaries of state facilities. The message is that if you kill enough people you can leapfrog to power, and will not have to <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/No-justice-yet-for-the-victims-of-peoples-war,2984" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/No-justice-yet-for-the-victims-of-peoples-war,2984&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGL-C71hgYbCf0u9sEzu4rpWbE4ow">answer for your crimes</a>.The driving force of most crime in this country today -- corruption on a grand scale, abuse of power, and even the epidemic of domestic violence, rape, abduction and homicide – is <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/editorial/state-of-impunity,2976" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/editorial/state-of-impunity,2976&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGoVQuW85VhVQzHZ1rJkVT7fRV6rQ">impunity</a>. If people can literally get away with murder, there is no deterrent anymore.Netra Bikram Chand and his followers are also encouraged by the failure of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-runs-out-of-excuses-to-address-war-crimes/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-runs-out-of-excuses-to-address-war-crimes/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFu9Gtkg_kThaShH-8b7KVuVJ_r5Q">transitional justice process</a>. Dahal openly and publicly admits to being responsible for “only 5,000” of the 17,000 killed during the conflict, and yet nothing happens to him. No one was ever arrested or tried for <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=12522#.X9GFuS8RoWo" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D12522%23.X9GFuS8RoWo&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGYySG0R-KeC9nFSbaxcS8_yJzNBA">Muktinath Adhikari’s murder</a>, or the tens of thousands of other <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/One-To-Many/victims-waiting-for-justice,698" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/One-To-Many/victims-waiting-for-justice,698&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHcDmN_H5VpDDONQZbCCaMt6LcwEA">killings and disappearances</a> by both sides.The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-transition-to-peace-needs-justice/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-transition-to-peace-needs-justice/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEhIZms_cEpsTli0TuAX_cm8V_QHQ">Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the Commission on the Investigation of Enforced Disappearances</a> are just for show. History is repeating itself. But it is a farce. Nepalis have no wish to return to the barbarism of war.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-a-crime-not-to-call-it-terrorism/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-a-crime-not-to-call-it-terrorism/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607660186469000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEcJ9tyv5dkJd6SzXiZglSI6JTECw">It is a crime not to call it terrorism</a> by Kunda Dixit

<img width="1122" height="974" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181112/636bdfe39c7e80680e083dc5jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Going by official statistics, Nepal’s economy is doing splendidly. The economy grew at 2.27%, not bad considering that has been battered for the past eight months by Covid-19. Every expert had predicted that <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/remittances-from-nepali-workers-rise/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/remittances-from-nepali-workers-rise/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604545529632000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGK8sRyj3qm0LozvU2GO_IyJ1rI7w">Nepal’s remittances would go down</a> with the pandemic, with the Asian Development Bank even putting a precise figure: a decrease of 28.7%. But it actually went up by 8.1% in July-September compared to the same months last year. Inflation is holding steady at 4.5% The balance of payments is Rs68 billion in the positive. Nepal’s hard currency reserves have hit a record-breaking $12.2 billion.The Ministry of Health’s statistics show that 1,004 people have died so far from the coronavirus. But the Nepal Army says it has cremated and buried more than 1,400, the mortality totals at hospitals do not add up, and no one has bothered to count those who have died during isolation at home. <a href="http://nepalitimes.com/banner/heat-map-of-nepals-covid-19-hotspots/">Heat map of Nepal's Covid-19 hotspots</a>, Sonia AwaleThe total number of positive Covid-19 cases in the country is now nearing 180,000, but the number is probably many times higher. That figure is just among those who tested. The Ministry of Health has an exact number for those who have recovered: 137,992. But who is counting those who have stopped quarantining? Since conclusions can be subjective, we rely on statistics to plan. But what if the figures are distorted or wrong? After all, statistics can be bent any which way to suit any argument.Economic indicators are designed for ‘normal’ times, not when the world goes upside down. Extraordinary circumstances need more than figures for GDP per capita and annual economic growth. National averages distort the reality: you could have one foot in the oven and another in an ice bucket and say that on average you are comfortable.Nepal’s macroeconomic picture may look rosy, but the ground reality is different. By themselves the numbers may be right, but they do not reflect the overall outlook for the economy. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-plans-to-revive-economy-hit-by-covid-19/">Nepal plans to revive economy hit by Covid-19</a>, Nepali TimesEnterprises have gone out of business, millions have lost their jobs and sunk below the poverty line. Many middle class families have lost all their savings to pay hospitals for treating relatives with Covid-19. There are no official statistics on them.Official figures show that imports are down and the balance of payments is looking healthy, but domestic production is nearly zero. Pre-Dasain remittances may have gone up, but nearly 200,000 Nepali migrant workers are backlogged and have not been able to leave. Tens of thousands of workers and their families <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepali-workers-returning-to-india/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepali-workers-returning-to-india/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604545529632000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFpY6UJSKIhLGjtjd7g88JkrA1jEA">have gone back to India</a> because of lack of jobs here, and paradoxically many Indian workers have streamed back to ply their trades in Nepal’s cities. It is the Central Bureau of Statistics that is supposed to keep track of economic activity, but its figures show that Nepal is not in an economic recession even though there are no accurate numbers for economic growth for the last two quarters to base that assumption on. The Nepal Labour Survey of 2018 shows there are 7 million people employed in Nepal, and of these two-thirds are in the informal sector. We have no idea what has become of them. We can only guess that most have no income, but there are no figures. You can only solve a problem if you know there is a problem.Pre-pandemic figures show 17% of the population living below the poverty line. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/window-on-the-future/">Window on the future</a>, Nepali TimesInformally, economists estimate that one-third of Nepalis have now been pushed below the poverty line. But that is just a guesstimate. There are no surveys to show how many people from which sectors lost their income. Just like with Covid-19 tests and treatment, the government is telling citizens most at risk to fend for themselves.A 2016 Population and Health Survey showed that half of Nepal’s population suffered from food insecurity, with 10% of families facing chronic food shortage. Eight months into the pandemic, aside from sample surveys by <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/1-in-5-nepal-families-lack-food/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/1-in-5-nepal-families-lack-food/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604545529632000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHzz7kNirEL_KnmBTHv5B9qPY7dSA">WFP</a> and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/covid-19-impact-on-food-and-school-in-nepali-children/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/covid-19-impact-on-food-and-school-in-nepali-children/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604545529632000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE37hdrJ6WrTiOAlU2rqUVObGhtNA">UNICEF</a>, we do not know for sure the scale of the nutrition crisis.Without these statistics, the already inadequate relief targetted for the most vulnerable will be side tracked by the politically connected. Which is what is happening. In the past eight years, the government has not even been able to identify the poorest families.Prime Minister K P Oli, preoccupied with a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-communists-on-verge-of-split-again/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-communists-on-verge-of-split-again/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1604545529632000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE9ukuEol_jqrw5C-QhBOoNcm8vJw">perpetual power struggle</a> with his party nemesis Pushpa Kamal Dahal, relies on incomplete statistics to declare that Nepal is not in an economic crisis. You cannot wake up someone who is pretending to sleep.Ramesh Kumar

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Lies and damned lies

<figure><img width="2048" height="1365" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc6c9c7e80680e080315jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>The coronavirus is here to stay. Vaccines will not be available for Nepalis till late next year. There are no proven therapies yet. The only way to stay safe is through prevention, since hospitals will be full.
That is the prognosis from health experts for the coming winter and into next year. Even before SARS-CoV-2, Nepal used to see a winter spike in deaths of the elderly from pneumonia. But with the added threat of the new virus, this winter is going to be even more dangerous than previous ones.
“This thing will keep going for another year at least, the only way to deal with it is prevention – that means masks, separation and handwashing,” says Buddha Basnyat at the Patan Academy of Health Sciences.
People above 65 and those with pre-existing conditions need to be especially careful –their family members have to take strict precautions not to bring the virus into the household.
<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/protecting-nepals-elderly-from-covid-19/">Protecting Nepal's elderly from Covid-19</a>, Alisha Sijapati
Doctors advise taking flu shots where available so that the high risk groups do not end up having to fight on two fronts in the coming months.
“In Nepal, data shows that winter is a killer of older people, so in the coming months  they need to minimise interaction with immediate family members who move about in public,” says Sameer Mani Dixit of the Centre for Molecular Dynamics. He advises that seniors isolate in their rooms, and meet relatives in open spaces wearing masks.
What makes high risk groups even more vulnerable is that in winter windows are closed, and they tend to mingle with the extended family with whom they share the home. They should also get as much exercise as possible, and expose themselves to direct sunlight to boost immunity. Similar precautions need to be taken by those with hypertension, diabetes, obesity and other conditions.
Says Dixit; “High risk individuals like the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions have to treat all members of the household and visitors as if they are Covid positive. That means wearing masks, keeping separation and meeting them only in open areas.”
<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/home-health-care-during-a-lockdown/">Home healthcare during lockdown</a>, Alisha Sijapati
The government, which seems to have more or less given up trying to control the virus by leaving it to the public to take precautions, needs to prepare for the winter surge. There has to be adequate oxygen supply to hospitals, more ICU capacity, separate corona wards in hospitals, and the new Nepal Army hospital could be turned into a Covid-dedicated facility.
The silver lining is that mask-wearing and handwashing have reduced other chronic infections in Nepal. Hospitals report a marked decrease in water-borne diseases like typhoid and dysentery, and airborne infections like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Mask-wearing slowed the spread of seasonal flu in this year’s southern hemisphere winter.
Some in Nepal are promoting ‘herd immunity’ as an antidote to the expected winter surge. Scientists caution against this notion because there is still so much uncertainty about the virus. Says Buddha Basnyat: “Herd immunity is herd mentality, it is dangerous.”
Read also:
<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/covid-19-and-the-new-great-game/">Covid-19 and the new Great Game</a>, Editorial
<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/what-is-novel-about-the-novel-coronavirus/">What is novel about the novel coronavirus</a>, Buddha Basnyat

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Window on the future

<img width="794" height="1052" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc659c7e80680e080313jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>One of Barack Obama’s White House staffers once got into trouble for saying that a hurricane disaster presented a good opportunity for the administration to show it could get things done. It was politically incorrect, but true. Indeed, here in Nepal, frequent natural disasters have been god-sent chances for governments of the day to prove themselves. We thought that would happen after the 2015 earthquake, but our rulers squandered the chance to invest in rebuilding with massive job creation. The Blockade was a time to rise to the occasion, and turn the crisis into an opportunity for the government to demonstrate it was serious about trade diversification and weaning Nepal away from petroleum dependency.  This monsoon’s landslides and floods with unprecedented loss of life could have yielded political dividends if only Prime Minister K P Oli’s government was not so obsessed with an internecine power struggle within his ruling party. The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/declare-a-health-emergency/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/declare-a-health-emergency/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603951536970000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE5a21Io-UJUEmHYCcUrhPRD4Wyuw">Covid-19 crisis</a> offers the Oli administration a chance to take the advice of scientists and act decisively to cushion the blow on Nepal’s most vulnerable citizens. Instead, it has fallen back on business as usual, coddling cronies and now, as we near year-end, to tell Nepalis that they have to take care of themselves. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/nepals-leaders-are-in-isolation/">Nepal's leaders are in isolation</a>, Editorial To be fair, even the most accountable and well-governed countries in the world have been found wanting in dealing with the coronavirus crisis. Europe is struggling to contain the spread ahead of a predicted winter resurgence. In the United States, President Trump has no plan, and has surrendered to the virus.  The Dasain break offered the government a chance to regroup and reassess its Covid-19 strategy. Alas, leaders of the two factions in the ruling NCP appear to have wasted the time to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/you-stab-my-back-i-stab-yours/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/you-stab-my-back-i-stab-yours/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603951536970000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFRHcywZTZ_Tw7NW7ML6FtISdI9Hw">plot their next move</a> to undermine each other.  The surprise visit by Indian intelligence chief Samant Goel to Kathmandu on 21 October became another excuse for the two factions to lash out, and prove one was more nationalist than the other. NCP members loyal to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/running-to-remain-in-place/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/running-to-remain-in-place/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603951536970000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGLKhibNVJAkXWG-2-jbDa0IUXeYQ">Pushpa Kamal Dahal</a> were having a go at their own prime minister, as if they were members of an opposition party. Oli’s advisers did him no favours by flip-flopping on whether Goel was in Kathmandu on a private or official visit, and if he was sent by Prime Minister Modi, or invited himself. What got lost in all the Oli-slamming was that Goel also met Baburam Bhattarai at close quarters before he tested positive for Covid-19, as well as secretly meeting other Dahal loyalists.  <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/declare-a-health-emergency/">Declare a health emergency</a>, Shekhar Kharel It now appears that India’s top spook was indeed sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a trusted emissary to patch up <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-passes-map-bill-india-reacts/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-passes-map-bill-india-reacts/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603951536970000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG3Ty-Kl7zbVxvM10kCU3uhre4vGw">strained India-Nepal relations</a>, and address the perception spread by India’s jingoistic media that Nepal is drifting into the Chinese orbit. The timing is also significant -- it comes ahead of a three-day visit by India’s Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane on 4 November, which had been delayed by the pandemic.  Naravane is well remembered in Kathmandu for his <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepali-cartoonists-poke-india-over-kalapani/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepali-cartoonists-poke-india-over-kalapani/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603951536970000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEgW95N1zenvE42Y4-xetGzoO1QKA">gaffe during the Limpiyadhura dispute</a> in May during which he implied that Nepal was being egged on by China to stake its claim on its territory. This remark was criticised even in India for his insensitivity towards Nepali nationals serving in the Indian Army, some of them deployed in Ladakh. There is much confidence rebuilding that Naravane needs to do in Kathmandu. The Goel jet dash to Kathmandu and the Naravane visit take on added meaning with the 2+2 meeting of top American and Indian foreign and defence officials in New Delhi on Tuesday, and the signing of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) – which despite its awkward acronym is essentially a bilateral strategic pact.  <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/reconnecting-india-to-rest-of-asia/">Reconnecting India to rest of Asia</a>, Pradumna B Rana This is proof that the world is once more bipolar, as the Anglosphere plus Japan and India are pitted against China, and its growing dominance and influence in the world. With the flare-up in tension between India and China over their Himalayan border, Nepal has to tread carefully in this new Great Game between its giant northern and southern neighbours. <figure><img width="640" height="365" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc689c7e80680e080314jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary Mark Esper at India's National War Memorial in New Delhi on 26 October to pay homage to soldiers killed in the Ladakh clash in April. Photo: PIB India</figcaption></figure>Meanwhile, in Kathmandu US-China rivalry was taken to a new level with Dasain diplomacy. American ambassador <a href="https://twitter.com/PRCAmbNepal/status/1320589152304263169" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/PRCAmbNepal/status/1320589152304263169&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603951536970000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFTq_8Vnw6hFTtgPFAlxnMmMZXOiQ">Randy Berry made mutton curry</a> while <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chinese-tourist-influx-to-nepal-in-2020/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/chinese-tourist-influx-to-nepal-in-2020/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603951536970000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEHLgOrbfHiXBtY2AyTPZzLlBXsrQ">Chinese ambassador Hou Yanqi </a>outdid everyone by singing the popular trekking song <a href="https://twitter.com/PRCAmbNepal/status/1320589152304263169" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/PRCAmbNepal/status/1320589152304263169&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1603951536970000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFTq_8Vnw6hFTtgPFAlxnMmMZXOiQ">Resham Firi</a>. We wonder if the allusion to the scarf waving in the wind was to the New Silk Road to counter the American-supported  MCC.In the midst of all this high drama, it is easy for Prime Minister Oli to lose focus on the main crisis at hand -- managing the health and economic fallout of Covid-19. But it is a chance for him to use the disaster to prove that he can protect the people who elected him and his party to power.

Covid-19 and the new Great Game

<figure></figure>										<img width="3950" height="2374" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171156/636bdc4c9c7e80680e08030cjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Since Sunday night, Nepali tv viewers are greeted with this message on their screens for 120 of the most popular international sports, entertainment and news channels.</figcaption>												On Sunday night, television viewers across Nepal browsing channels on their satellite and cable systems suddenly found that they could not access their favourite sports channels, BBC News, as well as many Hindi entertainment programs.On the eve of Dasain, the government decided to enforce the rule requiring television distributors to provide advertisement-free foreign channels. Suddenly, 120 of the most popular channels got blacked out of the cable menu. The Ministry of Communication and Information said it had given satellite and cable operators one year’s notice to implement its ‘Clean Feed’ policy, and it had to stop the distribution of foreign tv channels that contained commercials. The theory is that customers should not be charged for television programs that contain advertising, but between the lines the directive had a nationalistic rationale against Indian commercials. In June, Nepal got distributors to delete most Indian news channels from their feed for airing content that was derogatory towards Prime Minister K P Oli. There was also an argument that Clean Feed would encourage Nepal-based content and upgrade the quality of Nepali commercials. However, most analysts say that will take time, and for now it will be Nepali viewers who will be deprived of the most popular channels, and have to pay more expensive cable tariffs. “So what if the government says its decision is final? We have not been able to bring in the necessary equipment needed for clean feeds,” said Sudhir Parajuli of Subisu Cablenet. “And the foreign channels also have to be ready to beam us programming without commercials. It’s not entirely up to us.”Direct-to-home satellite and cable distributors say they have been negotiating with international channels to provide clean feeds, but not all of them have complied, while others have cited delays caused by the Covid-19 crisis. “They are working on the technical details of providing the clean feed, some are in the testing stage, and a few of the channels should be back on air in a few days,” said Dhruba Sharma of the Nepal Cable Television Operators Federation.The Federation had asked for a six-month extension in implementing the Clean Feed provision, citing the pandemic. The Indian Broadcasters’ Forum, Discovery Network, BBC News and others had also requested the Ministry for an extension to work out the technical details, but the government decided not to grant that. While advertising agencies have generally welcomed the decision, the government’s move has been greeted by outrage from the public in social media, mainly because it was enforced during Dasain, and also while most people have been forced to stay home because of the rapid spread of the coronavirus in Nepal. “The children do not have school, and we are all confined to our homes because the virus is everywhere, and watching television was a way to pass the time, now the kids cannot even get to follow the sports channels anymore,” complained Putali Tamang of Dhobighat. Among the popular channels affected are all those under Star Sports, Star Sports Select, Star Plus, Discovery, BBC, Colours, and others. The ban has hit hardest Nepali fans of the English Premier League, Indian Premier League, and other football and cricket games.All news and entertainment programs under India’s Zee banner, Sony, HBO and Cinemax are still available because they do not carry commercials. Al Jazeera is also still being beamed, and CNN is also available depending on the distributor.What this means is that while the monthly fees for satellite dish or cable may not go up right away, as the agreements with various international channels are renewed, operators will be forced to pass on the added cost of commercial-free programming to Nepali customers. Of the 90 pay tv channels, 60 are said to be completing their technical preparation for clean feeds. The government’s argument is that international channels that charge Nepali customers through their local distributors should not also be making money from commercials. It says this follows the international practice that if customers pay for a feed, it should not carry commercials.However, the government seems to be unaware that many Nepalis are now paying for live streaming of sports events and entertainment programs through the internet. The Clean Feed policy also does not include IPTV, which does not need any permission to beam uncensored content directly to Nepalis through their internet service providers.The Android IPTV box is becoming popular, and allows ISP customers to bypass distribution via cable and satellite.

Nepalis denied tv channels over Dasain

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb389c7e80680e0802b0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1250" height="1145"/><figcaption>Illustration: BHANU BHATTARAI</figcaption></figure>In 2017, Nepal held its first local election after two decades. A generation of Nepalis had grown up without any experience of electing mayors or ward chairs. Bureaucrats were appointed to municipalities.Those were not just any local elections, they were the first under a federal structure. Hopes were high, and expectations higher. But how to make fiscal federalism work, and particularly municipal financing? What has been the experience of the past two years?There are two schools of thought about how municipalities should fund themselves. The first is that they have limited resources to invest in socio-economic development, and even added fiscal transfers from the federal and provincial governments on top of local revenues, are not enough for infrastructure and service delivery.The second is that local governments are unable to use available resources due to lack of technical and financial capacity, and that financial deficit is irrelevant when local governments are not even able to spend their allotted budget.<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/editorial/nationally-local,3705">Nationally local</a>, EditorialWhile both these narratives ring true, the challenges are not faced in isolation and are cyclical in nature -- they feed into each other. The lack of capacity of local governments has led to underutilisation of funds available through the market and the federal government. Administrative and policy restraints set by the federal government also limits local governments’ access to finance.However, lack of spending capacity or lack of financing is not a challenge unique to local governments.  It is in fact part and parcel, a hereditary defect passed on from Kathmandu to rest of the country.Under the federal structure, significant power has been devolved to local governments than previously imagined. However, the expenditure responsibilities of local governments do not match their ability to generate revenues -- their power to govern through constitutional mandate has been restricted by their financial ability to govern.The revenue municipalities raise from taxes and levies is insufficient to cover operational expenses, let alone finance infrastructure or service delivery. Local governments are criticised for bloated operational expenses, but while this may be  justified, municipalities will still not be able to finance big ticket infrastructure and service delivery projects with merely internally generated revenues.Local governments therefore have fewer avenues to raise funds. To decrease their finance deficit, they can either steal, beg, or borrow to meet their requirements. In the crudest sense, local governments can either raise taxes, or utilise federal government transfers, or borrow from banks.<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/Analysis/how-decentralised-is-federalism,776">How decentralised is federalism?</a>, Kiran NepalAn obvious mechanism to increase the funding base of municipalities is to increase their own source revenue generated through property taxes and business registrations, among others. However, municipalities already have a smaller tax base which restricts their revenue-generation capacity. They also cannot increase tax rates twice within their 5-year term limit, as it would be politically unpopular. The other mechanisms to access finance are largely dependent on local governments’ ability to raise revenue locally.Another option is to use the four intergovernmental transfers (grants)provided by the federal government. Fiscal equalisation grants disbursed to local governments is generally inadequate to cover municipal expenses which drives local governments turn to conditional grants.However, this reliance on conditional grants can only support piecemeal projects that do not always meet local needs and priorities. With Covid-19, the ability of the federal government to generate revenue have been hit, and subsequently, transfers to local governments.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/local-governments-lack-resources-to-tackle-covid-19/">Local governments lack resources to tackle Covid-19</a>, Nepali TimesLocal governments can also take internal loans through Nepal’s banksand financial institutions to cover their deficit. As of this fiscal year, municipalities can borrow up to 12% (a two-percentage point increase from last fiscal) of its revenue and revenue distribution from the federal and provincial governments.For instance, a larger municipality like Bharatpur could borrow up to Rs130 million in internal loans in the last fiscal year. Smaller municipalities like Birendranagar and Damak could borrow only up to Rs50 million. The minor increase in the debt ceiling does not increase their borrowing limit significantly. Considering the infrastructure and services delivery needs of growing urban centres that requires billions in investment, this amount seems grossly inadequate.There are regulatory and institutional restraints and reluctance to empower local governments to finance their capital deficits. However, the lack of technical capacity of  local governments contributes equally to this problem. Nowhere is this more obvious than in their inability to spend their annual budgets.This is also evident in the underutilisation of some of their federal grants, mostly because applying for these grants require project planning skills that are absent at the local level. Lack of capacity to plan, execute and monitor large scale projects is fuelling their inability to proactively seek federal grants to increase the revenue.This limitation has been amplified due to restrictive banking and financial practices in Nepal. Financial institutions are inclined to provide collateral backed lending, which allows banks to sell the land (commonly used as collateral) if a project fails to deliver.However, financing institutions are reluctant to lend to municipalities as municipal land cannot be used as collateral. While non-collateral based lending is an alternative, they are rare and limited to projects with guaranteed revenue streams such as hydropower projects with signed Power Purchasing Agreements with Nepal Electricity Authority.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/federalism-rule-of-law-and-the-judiciary/">Federalism, rule of law and judiciary</a>, George Varughese and Iain PayneThese are not just structural challenges, municipalities also face a crisis of confidence. Most municipalities are averse to borrowing and have not utilised the 12% internal borrowing threshold. Current borrowing, on average, comprises only 0.85% of municipal total revenue. Several municipalities say that despite their growing financial needs, they are less likely to take internal loans. Even if they do borrow, loans are used to manage working capital deficits rather than to finance municipal projects.In absence of long-term vision and prior plans, costly projects that may exceed the allotted fiscal transfers are not included within municipal plans and budget. Plans are limited to short to medium term projects and larger infrastructure or service delivery improvements which could potentially increase local governments revenues are ignored. The crux of the matter is, rather than municipal needs informing the budget, fiscal transfers dictate policy priorities of local governments.Local governments are locked in this vicious cycle. The federal government’s reluctance to ease up its fiscal hold on municipal finances constricts their capacity to deliver on their constitutional responsibilities. In parallel, limited institutional capacity of municipalities to deliver on their budget drives the federal government to maintain its regulatory and administrative hold.These constraints subsequently limit municipalities access to adequate finance. Unless this cycle is broken, local governments, much to our disappointment will only end up delivering short sighted piecemeal projects.The effectiveness of federalism rests on enabling municipalities and the leadership to identify, create, plan, and implement sustainable long-term projects. Despite the authority provided by the Constitution to local governments, their heavy reliance on fiscal transfers and inability to seek internal loans as an alternative for financing projects weakens their autonomy and governing power.After all, adequate fiscal autonomy is a key tenet of effective decentralisation which should not be undermined by poorly designed federal controls.Read also:<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/editorial/government-to-governance-editorial,4200">Government to governance</a>, Editorial <img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb3b9c7e80680e0802b1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="93" height="111"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171152/636bdb3c9c7e80680e0802b2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="76" height="114">Anna S Gautam and Nishu Baral are analysts with Infrastructure Development and Financial Sustainability project supported by The Asia Foundation at VRock and Company.

To beg, borrow or steal?

Nepal’s only international aviation gateway, at Kathmandu airport, will cut night-time operation hours to allow construction of taxiways, and airlines have been told to curtail flights. This is expected to lead to more than normal chaos during the height of peak autumn and spring tourist seasons at an airport that is congested even at the best of times. The airport will close from 10PM to 8AM from 8 November-31 March 2025. The taxiways will now connect to the thresholds at both ends of the runway, making the airport more efficient in handling higher frequencies of landings and takeoffs. The parallel taxiway extension will allow international flights to land every 4 minutes instead of the current every 7 minutes. At present planes have to wait to land until a plane taking off backtracks along the runway.&nbsp; Kathmandu is Nepal’s only airport with international operations, and it has only one runway that is only one way in from the south over the mountains. With the taxiway improvement, the airport will be able to handle 42 aircraft landings and takeoffs per hour — double the current capacity.&nbsp; The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has been trying to entice international airlines to also start flying to and from the other two international airports at Pokhara and Bhairawa (Lumbini) by slashing landing and handling charges. But so far only Nepal Airlines operates a weekly flight to Bhairawa from Kuala Lumpur.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241018161016_046569e53d1d66cd445cc66c697c0ef724810aec9f54bdf827481e3cd6b80c32.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20241018161016_046569e53d1d66cd445cc66c697c0ef724810aec9f54bdf827481e3cd6b80c32" data-rendition-name="original" width="2356" height="1134" loading="lazy" alt="Kathmandu airport expansion"> <figcaption>Kathmandu Airport Expansion plan with extension of taxiways to the thresholds of runways 02 and 20 that will limit airport operations from 8 November 2024 - 31 March 2025. Areas in blue are existing structures, including the international terminal which in future will be the domestic airport, and the new international terminal near the north end of the runway,</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241018121028_6e17cc2ee87c1b02d78cb54905825b7aa15299b7a00f5eddb01a59579ab85c1a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241018121028_6e17cc2ee87c1b02d78cb54905825b7aa15299b7a00f5eddb01a59579ab85c1a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1353" height="1328" loading="lazy" alt="Kathmandu airport NT"> </figure>  CAAN has reportedly told international airlines to cut their flight frequency to Kathmandu citing the shorter operation hours and has told budget airlines to shift some of their flights to Pokhara or Bhairawa, or face cuts. Many airlines currently operate regular flights to and from Kathmandu between 10PM and 8AM: Air Arabia to Sharjah, Fly Dubai to Dubai, Jazeera Airways to Kuwait, Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong, Singapore Airlines, several Nepal Airlines flights, and one of four daily flights by Qatar Airways to Doha. Jazeera Airways, FlyDubai, and Thai AirAsia have applied and got permission from CAAN to begin regular flights to Bhairawa’s Gautam Buddha International Airport. Starting 9 November, FlyDubai will start making a stopover in Bhairawa before flying on to Kathmandu. Immigration, customs and security are all fully functional in Bhairawa. In Kathmandu, the next phase of the airport upgrade includes converting the current international terminal for domestic operations, the construction of a new international terminal where the domestic departure area is now, as well as moving the hangars and the Nepal Army Air Wing to the eastern side of the runway. The apron area will also double its parking space for widebody jets. This is part of a Airport Capacity Enhancement Project that was initially funded through a $80 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the entire masterplan is expected to cost $800 million. This project is the latest upgrade to Nepal’s only international airport since it saw its first flight in 1949. The current international and domestic terminals are too small to handle the current annual traffic volume of 8.5 million passengers a year that is growing at 20% a year.

Kathmandu airport to cut flight hours

As Kathmandu becomes more congested and polluted, and with remote online work becoming the norm, many professional Nepalis are planning to retire in Pokhara, or move there.&nbsp; With its stunning mountain panorama, balmy winters and proximity to a profusion of wilderness areas, builders are responding to this demand with new townhouses, housing development and apartments. One such block of flats is the 10-storey <a href="https://sungavaapartment.com/">Sungava Apartment</a> located at Phulbari above the Seti River, near the point where it flows into and under Pokhara. The imposing structure near Manipal Hospital is almost complete, and on a recent visit the site was strewn with huge boulders unearthed while digging the foundation.&nbsp; The Seti brought down these boulders during a gigantic flood that geologists estimate happened 800 years ago when a chunk of Annapurna IV broke off and ploughed into the glacier below. Today, Sungava (means ‘orchid’) sits safely on a high terrace, 100m above the blue-green Seti and commands a view of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna South, Machapuchre, Annapurna III and IV.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024102411104_5f8fc736c86ea3c08d7bef43bb727081d3cc1a2caa55ae2b441717e6044de7e9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024102411104_5f8fc736c86ea3c08d7bef43bb727081d3cc1a2caa55ae2b441717e6044de7e9" data-rendition-name="original" width="2016" height="1512" loading="lazy" alt="High living below the Himalaya NT"> </figure>  The soil here is conglomerate that has solidified like concrete, and the boulders were extracted by heavy earthmovers. It is intriguing to think that these metamorphic rocks as big as cars, rounded by glacial grinding, were once a part of a much higher Annapurna IV. Even for those with little interest in geology, Sungava is an ideal place to contemplate the tectonic forces that pushed these peaks into the sky to be sculpted into delicate shapes by wind, snow, earthquake and avalanche over millions of years. The view of the Himalayan panorama from Sungava’s many balconies are breathtaking when not obscured by clouds, or the haze that drifts in from across the southern border. On most days, just watching the towering pyramid of Machapuchre (Tamu name: कतासुँ क्लिको) play hide and seek with the clouds is mesmerising. There are rocks aplenty at Phulbari, and it is probably the flowers that grew along the flat terraces e that gave the place its flowery name. The boulders will hopefully be turned into a rock garden while landscaping. An nearby restaurant complex is making the best use of the stones in its design, using flat rocks as outdoor benches and tables. Sungava was designed by the husband-wife architect team of Deepak Sherchan and Jyoti Joshi of <a href="https://thedarkmermaidamarbshrestha.blogspot.com/2013/12/creative-builders-collaborative-cbc.html">Creative Builders Collaborative (CBC)</a>, which also built Heritage Plaza, Indreni Apartment and numerous other projects in Nepal. Sadbhavana retains CBC’s trademark Newari-style masonry and here it borrows from the orange brickwork of the old town of Pokhara, integrating it with modern design elements. A few of those heritage houses are still standing in Ganesh Tole and Ram Krishna Tole in Pokhara’s old quarter.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024102411108_5eb64a4885961b6d30781cefeb1e8a313da313ac5227c7a66b60f0c7d48d6fab.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="2024102411108_5eb64a4885961b6d30781cefeb1e8a313da313ac5227c7a66b60f0c7d48d6fab" data-rendition-name="original" width="1362" height="595" loading="lazy" alt="High living below the Himalaya NT"> </figure>  About 400m from the apartment past a bend on the river, and down below three tiers of terraces in the canyon is a suspension bridge. Below it, the Seti is still swollen with post-monsoon flow as it tumbles away in a hurry to head down south.&nbsp; Back at the apartment, it is quiet, far away from the hubbub of Lakeside a 15 minute drive away, and in the lap of greenery. There are 52 units at Sungava and it already has a close-knit prospective community of professionals, including doctors, publishers, engineers, and businesspeople from the renewable energy and IT sectors.&nbsp; Some residents say they opted for a second home in Pokhara to make it a ‘base camp’ to explore the Annapurnas with its many hiking trails made newly accessible with new roads. With the NRN citizenship law, overseas Nepalis can now also buy the flats. &nbsp; The floor plans include options for north and south-facing 3-bedroom apartments with verandas, and the facility has underground parking has EV charging, heated pool, sauna and gym. There are still some unsold apartments with panoramic views of the mountains and one can imagine oneself at the kitchen with its huge window, humming a ditty while preparing breakfast: “खाना पकाउँ हिमाल हेरेर...”

High living below the Himalaya

When the United Nations held its Summit of the Future at its headquarters in New York in September, many world leaders, including Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Oli, highlighted the effect of climate breakdown in increasing the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. What did not get as much attention was the long term impact of the climate crisis on food production. In fact, heat stress, weather extremes and the consequences on rain-fed agriculture is already being felt worldwide, undermining the chances of the <a href="https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/">UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</a> being met by 2030.&nbsp; The SDG’s 17 targets commit countries like Nepal to reduce poverty and inequality, end malnutrition, protect the natural environment, and ensure that citizens all enjoy health, justice and prosperity without leaving anyone behind.&nbsp; However, besides the impact of climate breakdown on agricultural production, in Nepal the area under cultivation is impacted by urban expansion, falling productivity and the need for expensive inputs like fertiliser and pesticides.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_626413c5baf4dae407ac9579231b41daeb51510aa636b75aeb7489d94cca6a62.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241019041052_626413c5baf4dae407ac9579231b41daeb51510aa636b75aeb7489d94cca6a62" data-rendition-name="original" width="999" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>Kathmandu's urban sprawl is eating into its fertile cultivable lands. Photo: TAYLOR MASON</figcaption> </figure>  Now, a new study led by Nepali researcher Prajal Pradhan at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands looks at how urban agriculture may offer a solution to falling food production and meeting SDG targets. The researchers evaluated 1,450 publications exploring the contributions of urban agriculture with both positive and negative effects, and published their findings in the journal Cells Report Sustainability. Urban agriculture can help achieve 17 SDGs, positively influencing 81 targets. However, it could also undermine 51 goals.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-vanishing-land">The vanishing land</a>, Taylor Mason “Urban agriculture offers immense potential for sustainable development, but realising this potential depends crucially on adopting practices that minimise its adverse effects while maximising its benefits,” Pradhan explains. Urban agriculture can substantially enhance urban food security, provide employment to the urban poor, serve as ground water recharge in built-up areas, and preserve open spaces that can serve as safe havens during disasters like earthquakes. However, it also presents problems like the potential health risks from contamination and the need for expensive inputs. &nbsp; “Urban agriculture plays a definitive role in advancing the SDGs, but achieving this requires tailored, context-specific solutions that address the unique challenges of different regions,” says Yuanchao Hu of Wuhan University in China and who is a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. “But it needs equitable access and rigorous management of environmental risks.”&nbsp; Rapid urbanisation is eating into Nepal’s most fertile agricultural land, which means farming in remaining open spaces inside cities can be a viable alternative, especially as food prices rise.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_7b7c9413086226fbdc630d45acf772cfa1ced77a8970b9056ec5ec7e5226fdf8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20241019041052_7b7c9413086226fbdc630d45acf772cfa1ced77a8970b9056ec5ec7e5226fdf8" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="999" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>A vegetable patch in between new houses in Thimi. Photo: TAYLOR MASON</figcaption> </figure>  “The conversion of Nepal’s most fertile land into cities is a severe problem,” Pradhan told Nepali Times. “Crop cultivation, horticulture, agroforestry, beekeeping, livestock rearing, or aquaculture can all be farming activities within and around cities.”&nbsp; The study makes recommendations for sustainable practices that build on the positive aspects of urban agriculture while mitigating the downsides, thereby promoting more resilient cities in future. Research shows that urban agriculture has been helping many countries attain SDG targets by enhancing food security and biodiversity while helping education and preservation of open spaces.&nbsp; Indeed, many farmers from the hinterland who have settled in Kathmandu Valley or other urban areas of the country have been practicing urban agriculture, leasing neighbourhood patches or cultivating roof gardens both out of necessity because of inflation and falling income to grow their own food, and also as a fulfilling hobby. Saurav Dhakal, a sustainability advocate with Story Cycle and now research fellow at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, says there are socio-economic and environmental benefits of urban agriculture. “It provides benefits to all urban dwellers, regardless of their income status,” says Dhakal, “families get fresh food, and there are many other benefits like water retention, heat regulation and biodiversity. These are all public goods, so special government incentives may be needed.” It is not unusual to see vegetable patches and even paddy fields within inner city Kathmandu where an older generation of farmers are using available fertile land and <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/rooftop-gardens-kathmandu,1415">roof gardens to produce fresh, nutritious food </a>to reduce their dependence on food items that have to be bought after being trucked in from large distances.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024101905100_1291ce98dbbb8caed8702ac4b1d469b3e13016d7ecaaf3bfd5f91c974d3c0c77.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="2024101905100_1291ce98dbbb8caed8702ac4b1d469b3e13016d7ecaaf3bfd5f91c974d3c0c77" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="999" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>An older generation of farmers are using any available fertile land to continue farming but it is getting more and more difficult. Photo: TAYLOR MASON </figcaption> </figure>  Nepal’s urban population grew rapidly from only 3.6% in 1991 to 25% today. There is large outmigration from the mountains to peri-urban areas of the Tarai, to Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara, with many young men then moving abroad for work. Kathmandu Valley’s population has swelled to nearly 3 million, and is growing at 6.5% a year. Dilip Shrestha, 71, used to work for Nepal Food Corporation, so he knew firsthand about inflation, shortages and vegetables with pesticide residue. So, when he designed his new house in Kathmandu, he built a spacious roof where he grows cucumber, ginger, garlic, coriander, onions, tomatoes, chili, beans, okra, pumpkin and lettuce. His family eats healthier, and he has reduced dependence on the market.&nbsp; The co-author of the Cell Reports Sustainability journal article, Daya Raj Subedi who is a PhD candidate at Beijing Forestry University, says urban agriculture also promotes inclusion and psycho-social wellbeing.&nbsp; He says, “A crucial finding of the study is the identification of opportunities and challenges associated with urban agriculture, it can promote sustainable transformation of society.” In Banepa, 55-year-old Bijaya Manandhar in her lifetime has watched the fertile farms of her neighbourhood that used to supply vegetables to Kathmandu, now completely built up with no open space left. The pandemic lockdown prompted her to turn to the family’s <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/rooftop-agriculture-on-the-roof-of-the-world">ancestral livelihood by growing food</a> not on terrace farms, but on the roof terrace. Manandhar is now a part of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/rooftop-agriculture-on-the-roof-of-the-world%5C%5C">कौसी खेती र करेसाबारी क्रान्ती</a> (Rooftop Farming and Garden Revolution) which has an online membership of 52,000, and awards annual prizes to women who excel in urban agriculture.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_7257f5def8f823f35a799fa6f6825e153f2ffa406ac11325d4fe74049b79e96d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20241019041052_7257f5def8f823f35a799fa6f6825e153f2ffa406ac11325d4fe74049b79e96d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="736" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> <figcaption>Rooftop farming is gaining popularity as a form of urban agriculture. </figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241019041052_beff1a4494ce896dd8fd383ee1f518e5448bcf7ea8bb138255391c7bcb9769ed.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20241019041052_beff1a4494ce896dd8fd383ee1f518e5448bcf7ea8bb138255391c7bcb9769ed" data-rendition-name="original" width="4000" height="3000" loading="lazy" alt="urban agriculture in Kathmandu"> </figure>  Pradhan says the challenge now is to upscale such examples of successful urban agricultural practices so they support Neal’s efforts to meet SDG targets. He adds, “Crop cultivation around cities can be protected by land use plans and regulations. Promoting community-based agriculture, including rooftop gardens, requires community engagement and public-private partnerships across the food value chain.”&nbsp; Such support would accelerate the popularity of existing rooftop farming and community gardens in Kathmandu Valley, or kitchen garden initiatives in Pokhara, and building on traditional farming practices that are preserved and integrated into urban settings like in Bhaktapur and Banepa. In Lalitpur, the Women Entrepreneurship Facilitation Center promotes urban farming enhancing both sustainability and empowerment.&nbsp; Another co-author of the report, Yuanchao Hu from China says followup research of the team will aim to identify good practices in local urban agriculture practices. He adds, “There are examples of urban agriculture that optimise sustainability, ensuring that it remains a viable solution for cities globally while countries try to meet SDG targets.” Prajal Pradhan, Daya Raj Subedi, Kshitij Dahal, Yuanchao Hu, Prakriti Gurung, Sijal Pokharel, Sagar Kafle, Biplav Khatri, Sudeeksha Basyal, Monika Gurung, and Aruna Joshi. Urban Agriculture matters for sustainable development. Cell Reports Sustainability, 1:100217, 2024. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crsus.2024.100217] Prajal Pradhan (<a href="mailto:p.pradhan@rug.nl">p.pradhan@rug.nl</a>) This article is brought to you by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/" target="_blank">Nepali Times</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://inpsjapan.com/en/" target="_blank">INPS Japan</a> and <a href="https://sgi-peace.org/" target="_blank">Soka Gakkai International</a>, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240630110640_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20240630110640_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758" data-rendition-name="original" width="680" height="103" loading="lazy" alt="SDG logo"> </figure>

Back to the land in the cities

The 700-year-old Lakshmi Narasingha temple in Bhaktapur houses a rare half-lion and half-human incarnation of Lord Vishnu carrying the Goddess Lakshmi. The temple was destroyed in the 1934 mega earthquake that killed 10,000 people and destroyed many monuments in Kathmandu Valley. It was rebuilt by a German project in the 1980s, but as a single-storey structure instead of its original two-tier pagoda design.&nbsp; With new findings from in-depth research, Bhaktapur municipality began re-restoring the temple in 2021, preserving its original architecture.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_2fae38cce543ad7b1f6de632feb3e212e08ed1acedd747830e949d7b8e878f18.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20241017131016_2fae38cce543ad7b1f6de632feb3e212e08ed1acedd747830e949d7b8e878f18" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  “Our temples and heritage sites hold deep meaning. It is disheartening to witness how often they lose their original elements, whether by design or accident,” explains Kumar Chawal of the Consumer Committee of Bhaktapur. “There is a need to preserve our architecture and protect its historical value for future generations. Otherwise, we risk losing a vital part of our identity.” The Laksmi Narsingha restoration is similar to the Bhai Dega temple in Patan Darbar Square which also collapsed in 1934, but was rebuilt with a Moghul-style dome by the Rana government at the time. Only two months before the 2015 earthquake, heritage conservationists had started to rebuild Bhai Dega as the original three-tier based on early photographs. But priorities shifted when four other temples in the square were brought down by the 7.8M earthquake on 25 April 2015.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_697ea707d9ad163be5de5f2efbf5b70d3cab771adcc22f0fae6bf937c6cb0130.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241017131016_697ea707d9ad163be5de5f2efbf5b70d3cab771adcc22f0fae6bf937c6cb0130" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  This showed how damage to monuments in Kathmandu Valley spanned from one earthquake to the next. Bhai Dega restoration remains half-complete to this day because money for its restoration ran out.&nbsp; Whereas Bhai Dega restoration was done by the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust with grants from western embassies and international foundations, in Bhaktapur it is the municipality itself that allocated the Rs30.7 million needed to restore the Lakshmi Narasingha temple. The expected date of completion is early 2025. The municipality and local communities are focusing on two main aspects: preserving the past and promoting localisation. The restoration team has designed a blueprint for the temple by using historical photographs and insights from older generations.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_182882fdc393c99e70d1d0490319e415229563666c4934e3a582426ebf00ca30.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20241017131016_182882fdc393c99e70d1d0490319e415229563666c4934e3a582426ebf00ca30" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="560" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  “At first, the Lakshmi Narasingha temple had only one entrance, but during the demolition process, we uncovered the foundations of four doors. Now, we are restoring all of them. This is an example of how our ancient structures have changed over time, often without our knowledge,” says Chawal. “Constructing temples is not like building houses. They carry historical and spiritual values, which is why they hold a special place in our hearts,” he adds. By replicating ancient design elements and rebuilding the temple as accurately as possible to its original form, the team has stayed true to Bhaktapur’s soul. But the restoration also revived ancient techniques that were in danger of being forgotten, generating employment for woodcarvers, masons, and contractors. The community of Bhaktapur’s Gahiti neighbourhood near the famous Nyatapola Temple has also set aside specific days for locals to volunteer in the reconstruction work. This has encouraged young people to take pride in ownership of their heritage. Families have also supported the effort by donating funds for bells, the temple pinnacle, and other structural features to the temple.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241017131016_db850ec0c084cdbe54f65bee92dad2ad8122d20fd60ec87ec086fbb9d2f72bd6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20241017131016_db850ec0c084cdbe54f65bee92dad2ad8122d20fd60ec87ec086fbb9d2f72bd6" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="In with the old in Nepal NT"> </figure>  “I feel at peace knowing I have contributed my sweat to restoring this temple,” said one volunteer. “It is our duty to preserve our temples and heritage. The Nyatapola area will look magical once this temple is completed.” Community mobilisation is a long-standing tradition in Bhaktapur. In the past, locals have actively participated in the restoration of other temples in the city, such as Bhairav and Nyatapola fostering a strong sense of ownership. This collective engagement has not only been crucial in preserving the city's historical monuments but also in strengthening the bond between local communities and their heritage, says officials at the municipality. While securing funding is essential, and the municipality showed it values heritage conservation, the Lakshmi Narasingha restoration is proof that active involvement and sense of responsibility of the local community is as important, if not more. Local involvement also means that the monuments will be cared for into the future, When locals take ownership of these efforts, the restored monuments are not only protected in the present but are also cared for in the future.