<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131148/6372395f9c7e80680e0c73dajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="4096" height="2731"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Out-going US Ambassador to Nepal <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/us-support-to-restore-stolen-nepal-gods/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Randy Berry</a> speaks to Nepali Times about his four-year tenure which was marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, the rancorous debate about the US-backed MCC project, and American support for human rights, press freedom and democracy. Excerpts:Nepali Times: What were your expectations about your second tour of duty in Nepal, and were they met?Ambassador Randy Berry: My hope in becoming US Ambassador to Nepal was simple: to deepen the friendship between the United States and Nepal. Although our countries might be far apart geographically, we share democratic values and aspirations for a better world, one that respects human rights, is well educated, healthy, combats corruption, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/a-biden-presidency-climate-and-the-himalaya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fights climate change</a>, and has inclusive economic growth.Each day that I’ve been here, I’ve worked on advancing these principles. We’ve partnered extensively with the Nepali government through USAID, which has promoted good governance, sustainable economic growth, health, nutrition, and education programs.We’ve supported civil society in advancing human rights – including the rights of women and girls and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-is-ahead-of-many-countries-in-lgbtqi-rights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the LGBTQI+ community</a>. We’ve helped build resilience to climate change and both of our countries have furthered our commitments to abating the climate crisis and strengthening our democracies.The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/knowing-whats-good-for-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MCC-Nepal grant</a> will mean more jobs, roads, and reliable electricity for Nepalis in the coming years. And we continue to strengthen people-to-people ties. We send over 100 Nepalis to the United States on exchange programs for leaders and professionals yearly, and Nepal ranks 12th worldwide for the number of undergraduate and graduate students studying in the United States each year.So, when I came as US Ambassador my hope was to deepen the US-Nepal relationship and I’m lucky to see that happening every day.The last four years were largely overshadowed by the Covid crisis. What would your analysis be of the way both our countries handled the pandemic?Nepal did remarkably well. The government took swift action against Covid-19 in the beginning. Almost immediately, the US government partnered with the Ministry of Health to support Nepal’s response to the pandemic. Through USAID and our Department of Defense, we provided <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/helping-nepalis-breathe-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">oxygen tanks, breathing devises</a>, PPE, testing kits, and other supplies that continue today. To date, we’ve spent over Rs16 billion on Covid assistance in Nepal, excluding vaccines.One of the things I’m most proud of, of course, is we were able to donate 13 million doses of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/johnson-johnson-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Covid-19 vaccine to Nepal</a>, including 8,385,200 pediatric doses. Notably, Nepal has a much higher vaccination rate than my own country today.That must not have been easy -- to secure the doses for Nepal when there was so much demand from other countries under the COVAX arrangement.When President Biden announced that the United States intended to be a world supplier of Covid-19 vaccines, they had already been at work with experts to figure out how they were going to get the greatest number of vaccines to the countries with the greatest need. Through our partnership with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/hope-hyperbole-and-hypocrisy-of-covax/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">COVAX alliance</a>, particularly UNICEF as the delivery partner, we’ve been able to do just that. COVAX helps us deliver the vaccines, so they get to the places that need them the most.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131148/637239639c7e80680e0c73dbjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1035" height="812"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>The other thorny issue during your time here was the MCC, which you mentioned earlier in this interview. Would there be anything you'd have done differently to make the ratification process smoother?I would have addressed <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-message-is-the-medium-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the disinformation</a> right away.  Our assumption was that the absurd claims against MCC would be seen for what they were – lies promulgated by someone with an interest in preventing a program based on accountability, democracy and transparency from moving forward.  This <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/post-truth-politics-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">disinformation delayed the program</a> for years, which just meant delays in providing jobs, reliable roads and sustainable energy to the people of Nepal.But in the complicated multi-polar geopolitics of the region, didn't the MCC force Nepal to take sides to the detriment of its relations with an immediate neighbour? Nepal should be making decisions for the good of Nepal -- not for the good of any other country. With <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/mcc-gets-green-light-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the ratification of MCC</a>, the Government of Nepal made a sovereign decision based on what it believed was good for the country. Initially, the government had wanted to participate in the program because it had seen it work so well in other countries. The Nepali government then helped design the program itself in a way that it thought would best serve its people.In an <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/we-all-yearn-to-breathe-free/">op-ed you wrote for Nepali Times</a> two years ago, you defended America's outspokenness about human rights and democracy in other countries, even when things are not that rosy back home. But wouldn't it be true to say that lecturing other countries rings a bit hollow these days?What I said then is what I’ll say now: Americans are outspoken on human rights, not because we think we are perfect but because we know we are not. We don’t sweep our problems under the rug. We actively talk about human rights in our own country, including <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/we-all-yearn-to-breathe-free/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deep-seated racism</a> and gender discrimination that Americans experience every day. But our problems don’t disqualify us from talking about human rights; if anything, they give us greater opportunity to do so with humility and honesty. <figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131148/637239669c7e80680e0c73dcjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1858" height="1239"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>From what you have seen in Nepal this time around, how would you assess the chances for socio-economic progress for this country in the coming years? There is a window of opportunity for Nepal right now. Prime Minister Deuba has made ambitious commitments to combat the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/climate-smarter-himalayan-infrastructure/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">effects of climate change</a> and to further democracy in the country. Those things attract investors which will help grow the economy in a sustainable and inclusive way.For the US government’s part, I’m proud to say we’ve supported Nepal’s sustainable economic growth with an array of programs, from USAID’s long-running development assistance, to the MCC grant, to supporting private entities through investments from the US International Development Finance Corporation. We’ve also started the first American Chamber of Commerce here in Nepal for US businesses. All of this activity signals that Nepal has the chance to make lasting economic progress.And lastly, what would be some of the enduring memories of Nepal that you will take with you?Nepal is an incredible place with vast landscapes, tall mountains and incredible culture, but it is the people that I’ve met during my time here that have changed my life. Nepalis’ kindness, generosity and hospitality are unmatched, and for that I am grateful. I will take that with me everywhere I go.

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“Nepal should make decisions for Nepal’s good”

<figure><img width="3600" height="2400" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101128/63720a3d9c7e80680e0b5590jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo:RSS</figcaption></figure>Five years after Nepal signed the US-funded <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-decision-time/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)</a> compact in 2017, Parliament on Sunday finally ratified the $500 million grant for much-needed transmission lines to distribute and export power.Key leaders from the Maoists, including Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Giriraj Mani Pokhrel, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Dev Gurung and Leela Mani Pokhrel maintained their opposition until the last minute, as did leaders like Jhala Nath Khanal from the Unified Socialists, who said he would not participate in the vote.Gagan Thapa of the Nepali Congress in his address offered blistering criticism of those who were opposed to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/high-tension-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the project</a>, calling out former prime ministers present in Parliament for their duplicity. “Those who call us traitors for wanting to move forward with the project now need to point their fingers at themselves, and reflect on their own words and actions during their leadership,” said Thapa, alluding to leaders of Nepal’s Communist parties. Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) leader Baburam Bhattarai during his remarks also addressed opponents of the project, saying, “Those leaders should have the courage to admit they were wrong for opposing the project in the past, and then retire from politics."Parliament vote followed a meeting of the five-party coalition held at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar on Sunday morning, which finally decided to endorse the agreement after months of back-and-forth mainly by the Maoist Centre and the Unified Socialists of the that had <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-risks-split-in-nepals-ruling-coalition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">threatened to dismantle</a> the governing alliance. Party leaders <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/maoists-backpedal-on-mcc-letter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pushpa Kamal Dahal</a> and Madhav Kumar Nepal agreed to support ratification on the condition that it be accompanied by an ‘interpretative declaration’ addressing concerns about the project.Gagan Thapa, Maoist leader Shakti Basnet and Unified Socialist-affiliated lawyer Govinda Bandi were tasked to mediate and prepare the declaration.  <img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101128/63720a419c7e80680e0b5591jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101128/63720a449c7e80680e0b5592jpeg.jpg" alt="">Party insiders said that the Unified Socialists were forced to vote in favour of the compact after Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba explored the possibility of forming an alliance with the UML to mobilise support for the project. KP Oli of the opposition UML for his part had maintained that he would support the MCC only if the NC left the coalition, a demand that was critical for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-deal-breaker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">elections this year</a>.  The interpretative declaration is meant to assuage the Maoists and Unified Socialists concerns about articles included in the Compact, which leaders of the two parties had repeatedly said is against Nepal’s national interest, and superseded Nepal’s laws, sovereignty, and the Constitution. The interpretative deceleration addresses <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/missing-links-in-nepals-mcc-debate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">concerns of the Communists</a> and was drafted by Thapa and will be appended to the ratification. It states that Nepal does not consider itself to be bound by any strategic, military or security alliance of the US, including its Indo-Pacific Strategy, and that Nepal is not obliged to comply with existing or future US laws or policies for any purpose other than the use of grants. The declaration also states that project related activities will be regulated by the laws of Nepal, and that Nepal will own all intellectual, movable and immovable property created under the Compact. The declaration stipulates all activities and funds of Nepal be audited by Nepal’s Auditor General. Another point states that Nepal can reject the grant amount by giving thirty days prior written notice if Nepal’s laws are violated. But even as the declaration seems to have kept the governing coalition intact and ratified <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/china-lobbying-against-mcc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the MCC</a>, experts have questioned the validity of such a document. "One country does not have the sole right to make explanatory comments on an agreement that was formed between two countries, and doing so could be seen as a coercion,” says constitutional expert Bipin Adhikari. "It would have been better to pass a resolution.” Others have called the document redundant, and that it is merely a face-saving exercise for the Maoists and Unified Socialist leadership. “Nepal’s political leaders <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-message-is-the-medium-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spread misconceptions about the MCC</a> among the public in the past to such a degree, and have had to backtrack now,” former Supreme Court Justice Girish Chandra Lal told Himalkhabar, “Now, they find themselves in a position of having to save face in front of their party workers.” The much delayed infrastructure grant project was presented in Parliament members for deliberation over the Compact in the afternoon, and a verbal vote was conducted late on Sunday night. Discussions regarding the project took place even as the main opposition UML stood in protest in front of the rostrum upholding their demand that Unified Socialist MPs be expelled, having gotten up from their seats as soon as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-house-speaker-embroiled-in-mcc-row/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Speaker Agni Sapkota</a> began his opening remarks while anti-MCC protesters clashed with police outside Parliament. <figure><img width="1267" height="845" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101128/63720a489c7e80680e0b5593jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101128/63720a4b9c7e80680e0b5594jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101128/63720a4e9c7e80680e0b5595jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="1242" height="828" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101128/63720a519c7e80680e0b5596jpeg.jpg" alt="">Even before and while Parliament voted, organised protests against the MCC had been going on all day in the streets outside as police used water cannons against brick throwers at the barricades.Most of the $500 million grant is earmarked for the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/power-politics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kathmandu-Hetauda-Butwal 400kVA transmission line</a> to distribute electricity from existing and new hydropower plants in central and eastern Nepal, and also connect to a high-capacity line to Gorakhpur so Nepal can sell surplus monsoon electricity to India.Nepal is currently generating 2,000MW of hydroelectricity with an additional 2,500MW under construction. This figure will soar to 7,300MW by 2025 as per Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) estimates. The country <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-cost-of-no-mcc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stands to lose Rs142 billion annually</a> without transmission lines to evacuate surplus electricity. Following the endorsement of the grant, the US Embassy Nepal released a press statement where it says that the decision whether to ratify the compact always rested with the Government of Nepal which will will now be able to continue to work towards implementing the five-year program."Today's decision by Parliament to follow through on its signed commitment and ratify the compact will mean more jobs for the Nepali people, a reliable supply of electricity, and lower transportation costs," it reads."The United States’ relationship with Nepal is broader than one agreement and we will continue to support the country and its democratic values and long-term economic prosperity."

Shristi Karki

MCC gets green light in Nepal

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101124/637209a69c7e80680e0b5555jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="2000"/><figcaption>Illustration: DIWAKAR CHETTRI</figcaption></figure>For those of us who devour dish-information for current affairs, it is now looking like Nepal is about to declare war on the United States. Forget the Russians massing troops on the Ukraine border, the media should note that Nepal is fully mobilised to deploy the country’s entire arsenal and urinal to taken the Americans head-on.Never in history since we went to war against the East India Company and lost half the country have Nepalis faced such an existential threat. It is time for all patriots who did not get their DV lottery to take revenge.There are many retaliatory steps we can take against the Millennial Challenge. The Ass, in the ultra-national interest, has come up with a top secret highly classified list of options, and will divulge it below if you take a solemn oaf not to go around blurting it out to anyone.<ul><li>The Americans are eyeing our uranium deposits in Mustang, and the MCC is a ruse to mine it. Nepal should therefore get its centrifuges spinning to enrich plutonium to build our own nuclear deterrent.</li> 	<li>Atom bums are useless without a missile delivery system, so we must install those warheads on locally-manufactured leather cannons that spread such terror among Company soldiers at Nalapani in 1814.</li> 	<li>Nepalis will not be kicked around anymore by Sam Kaka. As Comrade Lotus flower once so eloquently put it, Nepal is a dynamite between two boulders. He co-signed that letter to the MCC to show that he will not take things lying down anymore — he will kowtow.</li> 	<li>The Americans should not be allowed to improve our highways, it will make it easier for them to invade us. Our defence strategy is to keep our roads in such a poor state that they will stop American tanks in their tracks. In a military exercise last week, a Bailey bridge over the Arun collapsed, proving that this strategy works brilliantly.</li> 	<li>Electric power comes out of the barrel of a gun.</li> 	<li>We cannot accept the $500 million MCC grant because if we do, the Americans may want to give us an even bigger aid package in future.</li> 	<li>The MCC compact says disputes will be decided at an international arbitration court. We cannot allow that. Nepal’s courts must prevail because we have no rule of law.</li> 	<li>Can’t trust the Nepali Congress because it is named after the American Congress.</li> 	<li>Since India has banned the export of lab animals, the Americans want to use the MCC to kidnap our monkeys.</li> 	<li>How can we support a project that has to be completed in 5 years? Like Pokhara International Airport and Melamchi, we need at least 40 years.</li> 	<li>Yankee, go home! (And Take us with you.)</li></ul>

Ass s

Yankee go home. (Take us with you.)

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101124/637209819c7e80680e0b5548jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1800" height="1200"/><figcaption>Photo: RSS</figcaption></figure> The scheduled House session this week was once again postponed with Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the Maoists seemingly reneging on a deal with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to table the bill in exchange for <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/latest/chief-justice-suspension-linked-to-mcc-ratification/">registering an impeachment motion against Chief Justice</a> Cholendra SJB Rana.The 28 February deadline to approve the American-funded Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) project is looming, but the the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-row-rocks-nepals-ruling-coalition/">ruling coalition is now on the verge of a split</a> if Deuba convinces the UML’s K P Oli to back him on Friday. Oli may be willing, but Deuba is wary of his prime ministerial ambition and possible realignment with the Maoists.But after failing to convince his coalition partners on Thursday evening, Deuba immediately went with his wife Arzoo to meet KP Oli (pictured above). He now expects the coalition to collapse and needs UML support to pass the MCC.One might wonder why the very political parties and their leaders who had previously signed the grant contract with the American government used every excuse in the last four years to delay its endorsement by Parliament. The answer is simple.Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal pitted the $500 million infrastructure compact as ‘anti-national’ to such an extent to topple Oli that they cannot now retract their words, and risk election prospects by supporting ratification.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/using-the-delay-in-mcc-to-dissect-it/">Putting the MCC into context</a>, Jeevan R Sharma and David SeddonNeither the Maoist Centre nor the Unified Socialists have strong local bases, since both are breakaway parties.  Prime Minister Deuba for his part wants to have his cake and eat it too -- keep the coalition intact and pass the MCC. The time may have come for him to choose.Deuba knows that rejecting the MCC would impact on future aid, trade and development partnerships, and lead to international ostracisation. Sri Lanka rejected its own $480 million MCC two years ago, and is now ensnared in debt.Dahal landed in hot water two weeks ago after a letter to the MCC he co-signed was leaked, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/maoists-backpedal-on-mcc-letter/">exposing his duplicity</a>. This is a prominent feature of Nepali politics, but the collateral damage this time is a project that is important for Nepal’s future growth.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101124/637209849c7e80680e0b5549jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1244" height="830"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>If the 5-year project had gone ahead, the transmission lines would have been built by now and Nepal would be able to distribute electricity from new plants. Those hydropower plants were developed with Rs215 billion in investment from banks, which means deposits of ordinary Nepali citizens.As Anil Shah argues <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/to-be-or-not-to-be-on-the-mcc/">the banks and their depositors will be in deep trouble</a> if the private producers go belly-up. Nepal will then have to get loans from the World Bank or the ADB for transmission lines, but even that will be difficult unless we have an explanation for why we rejected the MCC.There is no one party or politician to be singled out for this unholy mess. The UML rallied behind the MCC while in government, only to use it now to bring down the ruling coalition. The two Communist parties in the ruling alliance are hoping Deuba and Oli will be punished by voters on 13 May for their support of the MCC.Coalition leaders have failed to garner support within their own party ranks for the project, nor are able to explain its reality to the public. This provided an opportunity for self-proclaimed nationalists of the left and right to spread disinformation about how the US was turning Nepal into a US military outpost.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/to-be-or-not-to-be-on-the-mcc/">To be or not to be on the MCC</a>, Anil shahA generation that grew up reading Communist commentary on 'American imperialism and Indian expansionism' is now in the leadership of the Communist parties. Such phrases may be obsolete now, but it is being revived to stoke populism during a Sino-US Cold War. This has not only increased the ideological polarisation, but also led the country astray.It is important for Nepal to vet all aid and loans, not just the MCC. However, domestic and geopolitical factors should not affect important projects. The populist nationalism around the MCC is not only tarnishing the image of the parties and their leaders, but also Nepal’s image as a nation. The consequences will be borne by the people.Hundreds of thousands of Nepalis have to migrate to the Gulf and Malaysia every year for work and it is the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/more-remittance-more-than-remittance/">remittance money</a> that runs the country’s economy. We will never rise above this with such insular hyper-nationalism.Nepal currently does not have the capacity to mobilise sufficient resources to upgrade transmission lines and prevent <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-cost-of-no-mcc/">potential wastage of Rs142 billion a year worth of electricity by 2025</a>. So the country has no choice but to seek foreign funding. Rejecting this grant is foolish, especially because all the leaders today were all on board when it was signed in 2017.Not ratifying the MCC today will set a precedent tomorrow to embroil every Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project in controversy. Once and for all, Nepal’s politicians must stand together for the country’s future regardless of their party election symbols.A MCC ratification will also be a lesson for anyone tempted to misuse quasi-nationalism for self-interest and weaken the Nepali nation.Read more: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/using-power-wisely/">Using  power wisely</a>, Nepali Times

High tension in Nepal

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101124/637209729c7e80680e0b5541jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="848" height="1106"/><figcaption>PHOTO MONTAGE/NEPAL ENERGY FORUM</figcaption></figure>Like a mirage, the nearer we get to Parliament’s ratification of a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/to-be-or-not-to-be-on-the-mcc/">$500 million US-backed infrastructure project</a>, the farther it seems to recede. Given the fecklessness of Nepali politics, nothing is over until it is over.After the Maoist parliamentary party on Wednesday morning decided to vote against the ratification of the American grant, a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-house-sits-for-crucial-mcc-vote/">scheduled House session</a> was postponed till Friday. A Maoist-Unified Socialists vote against the project would have effectively led to the collapse of the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress, who would have got help from the opposition UML to pass the project.The Americans have set a firm 28 February deadline for ratification. The message to top Nepali leaders by US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu last week may not have been a threatening ‘take our gift, or else’, but it was certainly a ‘take it or leave it’.Part of the problem is the acronym itself. The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/missing-links-in-nepals-mcc-debate/">Millenniumn Challenge Corporation (MCC)</a> is too awkwardly named, its aims are not clear enough. And many ask: why are the Americans so keen to make us accept their gift anyway if there is no hidden agenda?Read also:  <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/china-lobbying-against-mcc/">China lobbying against MCC</a>, Ramesh KumarYes, geopolitics looms large. Nepal is used to being squeezed between China and India, but this time we are caught in a global <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/china-lobbying-against-mcc/">Sino-US rivalry</a> that has intensified since the rise of Xi Jinping and the Trump years. We are now a yam between three boulders – although the Indians are for once strangely silent.Outsiders are playing on the incompetence and greed of Nepal’s rulers. None other than the country’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/maoists-backpedal-on-mcc-letter/">prime minister and his coalition partner write a groveling letter</a> to the project team in Washington DC begging for more time to ‘build a consensus’.All this makes King Mahendra smell like roses. In comparison to these lilliputs, Mahendra was a towering statesman who balanced regional geopolitics, and prevented Nepal from being sucked into the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union.When the Chinese built the Kodari Highway, there was consternation in New Delhi and pressure  on Nepal’s king who had just sent Indian security posts packing from Nepal’s mountains. India and China had just fought a brutal Himalayan war, and Beijing had every reason to consider Nepal an enemy nation since the Indian Army’s Gorkha battalions were on the frontlines in Ladakh and Arunachal.Yet, Mahendra played deft diplomacy between New Delhi-Beijing-Washington-Moscow and got the superpowers to chip in to help with infrastructure and development projects.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/to-be-or-not-to-be-on-the-mcc/">To be or not to be on the MCC</a>, Anil Shah<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101124/637209749c7e80680e0b5542jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="422" height="628">What a far cry all that is from what is happening today. By vacillating on a project that they themselves signed, Nepal’s leaders are coming off looking like fools who cannot be trusted. Who is going to take this bunch of clowns seriously anymore?They have used a project that would have <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/power-politics/">catalysed the future economic development of Nepal</a> against each other for petty party infighting. Actually, $500 million is not peanuts, and Nepal has already pledged another $130 million to increase the capacity of transmission lines and improve highways in Central Nepal.Borrowing that money would put Nepal deeper in debt. And we just have to see the current situation in Sri Lanka to realise what a real debt trap looks like. Colombo rejected a $480 million MCC two years ago by mishandling geopolitics and is now facing international ostracisation.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/using-the-delay-in-mcc-to-dissect-it/">Putting the MCC in context</a>, Jeevan R Sharma and David SeddonIt is at a time like this that Nepal needs a leader of Mahendra’s stature and skill. What would he have done? He would have approved both the MCC and the BRI, sent competent emissaries to keep Washington, Beijing and New Delhi happy. We do not even have ambassadors in those capitals.The big powers have bigger fish to fry, Nepal is not as strategic as we imagine ourselves to be. We can convince them that investment in Nepal’s infrastructure will ensure domestic stability and regional energy security.Nepal will soon have surplus electricity supply thanks to Rs215 billion <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/to-be-or-not-to-be-on-the-mcc/">investment by Nepali citizens in private power projects</a>. It now needs help with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/decentralising-hydropower/">distributing</a> that power, for which the MCC project is crucial.Nepal also needs help with connectivity, upgrading the country’s decrepit highways, adding railways and airports, and improving cross-border transit to India and China. That is where China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI) would help.Why does it have to be one or the other? Geopolitics is so polarised, and Nepal’s domestic politics so fractious that we have lost our ability to balance these forces for the country’s sustainable long-term economic wellbeing.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-damned-if-we-do-damned-if-we-dont/">MCC: damned if we do, damned if we don’t</a>, Nepali Times

Using power wisely

<figure><img width="2106" height="1078" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101124/6372096f9c7e80680e0b5540jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>As Nepal’s Parliament finally sits on Wednesday to try to ratify a controversial and long-delayed <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/missing-links-in-nepals-mcc-debate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">American infrastructure project</a>, parties opposed to the $500 million scheme are determined to block it.
[UPDATE: After the Maoist parliamentary party decided on Wednesday morning to vote against the MCC, the scheduled session of the House has been postponed. Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal met Prime Minister Deuba to explain the move. If the Moaists vote against the ratification, it would effectively mean the collapse of the current coalition government.]  
Despite Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba having said at a parliamentary party meeting of his Nepali Congress on Tuesday that the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) would be tabled when the Lower House convenes. 
Deuba also spoke with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-house-speaker-embroiled-in-mcc-row/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Speaker Sapkota</a> regarding the compact on Tuesday. Sapkota, an ally of the Maoist Centre’s Pushpa Kamal Dahal, has postponed parliament meetings multiple times ostensibly to prevent discussions about the grant in the House from moving forward.
Dispute over the MCC within the five-party alliance has in recent times <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-deal-breaker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">threatened to dismantle</a> the fragile five-party governing coalition. Prime Minister Deuba’s NC, whose 2017 coalition government concluded the agreement in Washington DC to upgrade Nepal’s electricity grid and highways, has been in support of getting the project ratified.
However, Madhav Kumar Nepal and his breakaway NCP (Unified Socialists) and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, whose Maoist Centre was part of Deuba’s coalition when he signed the agreement in 2017, have been vehemently opposed to the project.
Last week, details emerged about <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/maoists-backpedal-on-mcc-letter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a letter Dahal co-signed with Deuba</a> in September 2021 asking the MCC for more time to build a consensus within the current coalition for the project. 
Deuba’s predecessor KP Sharma Oli had backed the project while he was in office. However, the UML has not made its position on the MCC public after UML became the opposition party. Mahanta Thakur’s Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, which recently split from the JSP, has supported the project. 
The Prime Minister was optimistic that the compact once tabled on Wednesday would be ratified by Parliament. This comes hot on the heels of Sunday’s filing of an <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/chief-justice-suspension-linked-to-mcc-ratification/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">impeachment motion against Chief Justice</a> Cholendra Shumsher Rana MPs by the NC, MC, and Unified Socialists.
Rana is unlikely to be removed, however, because the coalition cannot muster a necessary two-thirds majority in the House. But he will be automatically suspended, and this is being used as a bargaining chip in order to mollify Communist members of the coalition to get the MCC ratified. 
Justice Rana’s impeachment would increase the chances of House Speaker Sapkota escaping unscathed from a war crimes charge, and would guarantee that 14 Unified Socialist MPs retain their seats. Former prime minister K P Oli of the UML had been blocking House proceedings after Speaker Sapkota refused to expel them. 
It remains to be seen if Parliament will pass <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/to-be-or-not-to-be-on-the-mcc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the project</a> when it convenes on Wednesday. The US has given a final deadline of 28 February for ratification. Several fringe left parties have called for street protests on Wednesday, and security is expected to be tight in Kathmandu.
Whether the MCC is approved by Parliament or not, its repercussions will not only be felt in Nepal’s pre-election domestic politics but also on the country’s bilateral relationships, especially with the United States and China.
In late 2021, high-ranking MCC officials including MCC vice-president <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-row-rocks-nepals-ruling-coalition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fatema Z Sumar came to Nepal</a> to meet with Nepal’s top leadership following a written response to concerns raised by Nepal’s Finance Ministry regarding the grant. 
US Assistant Secretary of State <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/power-politics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Donald Lu</a> called Deuba, Dahal and Oli separately last Thursday reportedly to remind them of the consequences on bilateral relations of a failure to ratify by the deadline. 
In May 2017, Nepal signed a framework agreement with China on its Belt Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure development strategy. At the time, the Americans stated that Chinese investment in Nepal must not only serve the interests of China, and pointed out that Nepal could be a victim of China’s ‘debt-trap diplomacy’.
In the past year, Beijing has been <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/china-lobbying-against-mcc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">actively lobbying against the MCC</a>. Controversy over the project was one of the factors that ultimately led to the split in the Nepal Communist Party as well as the UML last year. 
Nepal is increasingly squeezed in a geopolitical tug-o-war between the US and China. But experts say that Nepal needs both the MCC and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/china-builds-digital-and-medical-silk-roads/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BRI</a> and its foreign policy strategy should reflect this delicate geopolitical balance. They say that going ahead with one project should not deprive Nepal of the other. 
“It is in Nepal’s best interest to implement both the American MCC and Chinese BRI projects based on our national needs,” says diplomatic affairs expert Geja Sharma Wagle.
Nepal has historically had to walk the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-in-political-and-geopolitical-jam/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">diplomatic tightrope</a> in trying to balance relations with China, India, and the US, maintaining individual ties with global and regional powers through wars, crises and border disputes. 
But geopolitics is so polarised, and Nepal’s fractious rulers are so prone to acting as proxies to outside powers that the country cannot seem to maintain that balance.

Nepal House sits for crucial MCC vote

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101124/637209619c7e80680e0b553ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="890" height="500"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>After a prolonged deadlock over Parliament’s ratification of a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/to-be-or-not-to-be-on-the-mcc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$500 million US-backed infrastructure project</a>, Nepal’s ruling parties have found a formula to keep their coalition intact, and approve the scheme.The controversial project was <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-risks-split-in-nepals-ruling-coalition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">threatening to break</a> up the five-party coalition because Prime Minister Deuba’s Nepali Congress (NC) was for it, while the Maoist Centre and the CPN Unified Socialists were against it.The row had become embroiled in geopolitics with both Washington and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/china-lobbying-against-mcc/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Beijing piling on pressure</a> on politicians in Kathmandu to ratify and scrap it. US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu had called Nepal's top leaders last week to warn of damage to relations if the compact was not ratified by the 28 February deadline.The MCC row was also <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-deal-breaker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">complicating Nepal’s domestic politics</a> as the country faces local elections in May, with the Maoists and Unified Socialists wary of facing the ballot without an electoral alliance.On Sunday, 98 MPs belonging to the coalition filed an impeachment motion against <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/what-is-happening-to-nepals-supreme-court/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana</a>, who has himself been caught up in a months-long standoff with Nepal’s lawyers over allegations of corruption and political interference.The Nepal Bar Association had been lobbying with coalition leaders to file an impeachment motion against Rana since November, but the politicians had been reluctant to do so. Rana was said to have the support of Prime Minister Deuba.Rana is automatically in suspension now, but he is unlikely to be impeached because that would need a two-thirds majority of the House that the coalition does not command.Rana was to adjudicate two pending writ petitions involving <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-house-speaker-embroiled-in-mcc-row/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Parliament Speaker Agni Sapkota</a> of the Maoists on a war crimes charge, and on the suspension of 14 MPs that defected to the CPN Unified Socialists and whose the UML expelled.Rana was expected to rule against the Communist parties, while his successor, acting Chief Justice Deepak Karki is said to be more favourable to them.In a convoluted political way, suspending Rana opens the door to appease the Maoists and the Unified Socialists to allow the MCC project to be ratified when Parliament’s often postponed session sits on Wednesday.This is a win-win formula for the ruling coalition: Prime Minister Deuba gets to ratify the MCC, the Maoists save their Speaker, and Unified Socialists get to keep their 14 MPs. In addition Rana could have also ruled against former ministers who are now in the Unified Socialists in another case involving the Baluwatar real estate scam.However, the deal also exposes just how seriously the rule of law and separation of powers <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-lawyers-on-warpath-against-chief-justice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">have become eroded in Nepal</a>, where political parties can use or discard Supreme Court justices to suit their interests.Even though the opposition UML was removed from power last year by Rana who annulled Prime Minister K P Oli’s dissolution of the House, it has been critical of the impeachment motion against him.The UML was hoping to break the coalition over its internal <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/missing-links-in-nepals-mcc-debate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">disagreement over the MCC</a>, and gain an electoral advantage. It expected Rana to rule against Speaker Sapkota in a Supreme Court case to convict him for the killing of a UML supporter during the conflict. The UML was also hoping that Rana would expel the 14 UML rebels from House membership.The UML’s Subhas Nembang on Sunday criticised the impeachment motion as having been executed “guerrilla-style”, and its central secretariat held an emergency meeting on Sunday evening to plot future strategy.Despite the formula to save the coalition, Maoists and Unified Socialists have taken such a strong stance against <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-damned-if-we-do-damned-if-we-dont/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the MCC</a> that they will find it difficult to support it now when the House sits on Wednesday.They may stay away, leaving the NC and UML to pass it so they can brandish their own nationalist credentials for having stood up against American 'imperialism' at election time.

Chief Justice suspension linked to MCC ratification

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101124/6372095e9c7e80680e0b5539jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1576" height="786"/>On 28 February, we will come either to the finish line or the starting line of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-row-rocks-nepals-ruling-coalition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the US-funded Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) project</a> to upgrade Nepal’s infrastructure.The $500 million that the MCC is offering Nepal as a grant for the development of transmission lines and upgrading the road network needs to be ratified by that date.There has been a lot of debate in Nepal’s cybersphere and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-deal-breaker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the political arena that is spilling out into the streets with rallies</a>. The points of view are highly polarised, and we left logic behind a long time ago — we are now debating on emotion and rhetoric.When King Mahendra wanted the Chinese to build the Arniko Highway connecting Kathmandu to Lhasa in the 1960s, there was a similar debate about whether or not it was a good idea. India and China had just fought a war, and the Cold War was at its height.Many worried that the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/chinese-ink-wash-paintings-in-Nepal,2622" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">trans-Himalayan highway </a>would give direct access to our northern neighbour to the heart of Nepal and down to the plains, while others felt that this would be the route to open trade and commerce between Nepal and China.King Mahendra pushed ahead and built the Arniko Highway, and six decades later, it is a major artery for bilateral trade and cultural relations.Similarly in the early 1980s there was intense domestic and international debate on the development of the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/dam-it-its-all-about-the-water/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Arun 3 hydropower project</a> that would have not only met all of Nepal’s energy demand at the time, but also allowed export of surplus energy to India.After much acrimonious debate, the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=11083#.Ygiu_ShBzOQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Bank pulled out of financing</a> this project. This pretty much put an end to the development of major projects in Nepal for many decades, even while Bhutan took advantage of harnessing its water resources.By negotiating with India, it used revenue from electricity exports to enhance the quality of life of its people, and raised per capita income. Decades later, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-they-kept-nepal-in-the-dark-ages/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">we in Nepal are still trying to catch up</a> in harnessing our own water resources, and develop <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-precious-electricity-going-waste/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">our hydropower potential</a>.Once again, we as a nation and people, stand at the point of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/power-politics-delays-mcc-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deciding whether to accept</a> the $500 million MCC grant for the development of transmission lines and the enhancement of our road network or not.The people who need to examine the facts and make this decision are political leaders who we have trusted with our vote and put into Parliament. The decision they make must be for the wellbeing of all Nepalis, and Nepal as a nation, now and into the future.I am a banker and I can tell you that as per the guidance and direction of Nepal Rastra Bank and the government of Nepal, the banking industry as by mid-December 2021, had invested Rs215 billion in energy projects across Nepal.We need to increase this to 7% of the total loan portfolio by April, then to 9% by 2023 and 10% by 2024. This translates to 1,920MW of installed capacity, with construction licenses for 7,870MW. Of these, 214 projects are by private producers for 6,970MW, and foreign investment for 900 MW.In addition, another 37 projects for 2,576MW and 1,200MW of Investment Board Nepal (IBN) projects have applied for construction licenses. By the end of this fiscal year alone, we anticipate installed capacity to grow to 3,300MW.The nation’s focus on <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/decentralising-hydropower/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">harnessing our river resources and generating energy</a> is working, we are well on the way to being a major energy producing nation. This means that currently, Rs215 billion of the bank deposits of the citizens of Nepal are already invested into these projects through loans, and the amount will increase exponentially in the years ahead.The hard-earned deposits of millions of Nepalis are the main source of funding for the development of these projects. We stand at a point where we have to firstly stimulate domestic demand and consumption of electricity, and secondly facilitate the export of electricity to our neighbours.The common and critical factor for both these goals is the need for transmission lines across Nepal, that can effectively and efficiently evacuate the electricity from these projects, and get the power to the internal or external markets to spur the economy.If we do not start to put <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/decentralising-hydropower/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the needed transmission infrastructure</a> in place to do this, then the turbines will spin uselessly, wasting the electricity generated with phenomenal losses. Nepal’s entire financial sector will be in peril if the hydropower sector faces such loss from spilled energy.I do not know if Nepal should ratify the MCC and take the $500 million grant, that is for our elected leaders to decide. But I do know that if we do not get the needed transmission lines in place at the earliest then the savings of millions of Nepalis that the banking sector has been directed to lend to the hydropower sector will be in troubled waters.Many thousands of Nepalis who have invested in shares of hydro projects may also stand to lose if the transmission lines are not built. Politicians who have directed the banking sector to invest such a large quantum of the Nepali peoples savings in the energy sector must have a plan on how to get the power we generate to market.As a banker, all I can say is whether we take this $500 million grant from the MCC or take loans from somewhere else, we need to get the funds to build these transmission lines.February 28 is only two weeks away. Nepal’s leaders need foresight and courage to make the correct decision for the future. It is a choice between darkness and light, deprivation and prosperity.Anil Shah is a concerned Nepali, and a banker. Excerpts from NNSD post.Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-deal-breaker/">The deal-breaker</a>, Sonia Awale<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/maoists-backpedal-on-mcc-letter/">Maoists backpedal on MCC letter</a><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-house-speaker-embroiled-in-mcc-row/">Nepal House speaker embroiled in MCC row</a>

To be or not to be on the MCC

<img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101120/6372091c9c7e80680e0b5523jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>The date for local elections is now set in stone: 13 May to be held at once all over the country. But the path to voting booths is a political minefield.The five-party governing coalition is split right down the middle between the supporters and opponents of the American-funded Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) project. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s Nepali Congress (NC) and the JSP are for it, while the Maoist Centre and the Unified Socialists are against.But neither side has the numbers if the MCC’s ratification is put to the vote in Parliament. They would both need the UML, which has been playing coy in the opposition even though its leader K P Oli had backed it when he was prime minister.There are no permanent foes and permanent friends in politics, and this is most evident at election time. In 2017, the Maoists forged an electoral alliance with the UML and swept the elections, but they failed to make good use of the two-thirds majority and spent the better part of the last four years bickering. One of the reasons for the split was Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar Nepal using the MCC to bring down Oli.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-house-speaker-embroiled-in-mcc-row/">Nepal House speaker embroiled in MCC row</a>, Nepal TimesIt eventually led to the Communist alliance breaking up into Oli’s UML, Dahal’s Maoist Centre (MC) and Nepal’s Unified Socialists (US). And now, the American project threatens to split the governing coalition too.The MCC is now all mixed up with domestic election politics, and geo-strategic rivalry between the United States and China. Dahal’s MC and Nepal’s US, are both offshoots of a bigger party and are unsure of their electoral prospects if the coalition breaks. But if it does they can whip up the MCC as an election issue against Deuba and Oli.The NC is divided about an electoral alliance with coalition partners. Prime Minister Deuba wants to pass the MCC and hold the coalition together, but powerful NC figures want to field elections for all three levels on their own. The opposition UML has a strong local base, but will not be opposed to an alliance if it can garner more seats.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-damned-if-we-do-damned-if-we-dont/">MCC: damned if we do, damned if we don't</a>, Nepali TimesThis is why the MCC can be a deal-maker or deal-breaker. Only Deuba’s NC and JSP in the governing coalition are for the $500 million infrastructure project. Even within the JSP, Baburam Bhattarai and Upendra Yadav seem to have opposing views, with the former prime minister publicly supporting the grant. The Americans are piling on the pressure, saying they will wait till the 28 February cutoff date for House ratification, failing which they will pull out.Dahal and Nepal on the other hand, seem to be under Beijing’s spell. They have held several virtual meetings with top officials of the Communist Party of China who regard the MCC as a US strategic response to their own Belt Road Initiative (BRI).The media leak this week of a letter to the MCC co-signed by Deuba and Dahal dated 29 September 2021 has put the Maoist leader in hot water. Dahal was assuring Washington that he would work to form a consensus in the coalition, all the while opposing the MCC at home.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-cost-of-no-mcc/">The cost of no MCC</a>, Nepali TimesParliament needs to sit for a ratification vote, but the House has not had a proper session for six months. Oli has been blocking House proceedings because Speaker Agni Sapkota has not evicted breakaway members of the Unified Socialists. And Sapkota, who is a close Dahal confidante, once more pushed a Parliament session slated for 9 February by a week.This gives Deuba more time to cobble together numbers in the House for ratification before the American deadline. If Dahal and Nepal do not go along, he will have to get the UML on board – and that means the collapse of the coalition.In fact, the MCC has now become a bargaining chip for both the UML and the Maoist-Unified Socialists to use against Deuba. But the prime minister knows that Dahal and Nepal need an electoral alliance with him more than he needs them. The Maoists are said not to even have enough candidates to field in local government elections in May.Meanwhile, fringe Communist parties including the Netra Bikram Chand faction of the Maoists have resumed anti-MCC protests outside Parliament. And Mahanta Thakur of the smaller LSP is making an unrealistic bid for local elections to be postponed in Madhes Province by three months.The $500 million MCC compact will be used primarily to upgrade transmission lines to distribute electricity from existing and new hydropower plants in central and eastern Nepal, and also connect to a high-capacity line to Gorakhpur so Nepal can sell surplus monsoon electricity to India.The cost of no MCC equals a loss of Rs142 billion a year for Nepal by 2025 when generation capacity is expected to rise four-fold to 5,000MW. Much of it risks being wasted without the transmission lines to evacuate power. Read more:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/china-lobbying-against-mcc/">China lobbying against MCC</a>, Ramesh Kumar<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/missing-links-in-nepals-mcc-debate/">Missing links in Nepal's MCC debate</a>, Jeevan R Sharma and David SeddonAmerican lobbying for MCC went into high gear on thursday when US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu called Prime Minister Deuba, Dahal and Oli separately to warn that the US would recalibrate its relations with Nepal if they failed to ratify the compact.This followed a slew of visits by high-ranking MCC officials to Nepal in October-November last year to warn Nepal that the MCC contract was timebound.Lu is also reported to have a key message to all three leaders: failure to ratify the MCC would be seen in Washington as Nepal buckling under Chinese pressure. Left unsaid in that warning was that Nepal may have to face a similar predicament to Sri Lanka, which has faced ostracisation after rejecting its own MCC project that has led to the country sinking into a deep economic crisis.

Sonia Awale

The deal-breaker

<figure><img width="800" height="557" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101120/637208b19c7e80680e0b54fdjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Illustration: RABINDRA</figcaption></figure>Pushpa Kamal Dahal usually gets favourable coverage in Nepal’s mainstream media. Which is why he must have been shocked when he woke up on Monday morning to banner headlines ridiculing what is seen as his duplicity in the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-risks-split-in-nepals-ruling-coalition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">US-supported MCC project</a>.He must have had an inkling of it after Nepal’s cybersphere exploded after the leak over the weekend of the letter he co-signed with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on 29 September 2021 asking the MCC for some more time to build a consensus in his coalition for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/just-do-it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the project</a>.Publicly, Dahal has been a vocal opponent of the project, calling for amendments to clauses he deems to be an affront to Nepal’s sovereignty.  Even sites that have been sympathetic to the Maoists were compelled to expose what they saw as his kow-towing to the Americans. Some posted photo-shopped images of Dahal with two tongues, while cartoonists had a field-day.It is not clear who leaked the letter, but Dahal has broadly hinted that he suspects it came from the prime minister’s office. Deuba himself called a tripartite meeting with Dahal and K P Oli of the main opposition UML on Sunday to sort things out.Deuba, who has been fully backing the $500 million MCC (<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-damned-if-we-do-damned-if-we-dont/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Millennium Challenge Corporation</a>) project, seems now to have Dahal exactly where he wants him. Dahal used K P Oli’s support for the MCC to mastermind his ouster as prime minister in a party mutiny last year. <figure><img width="900" height="550" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101120/637208b39c7e80680e0b54fejpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Vice president of the MCC Fatema Z Sumar with Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal in Kathmandu in October.</figcaption></figure>But Oli is now playing coy, and himself using the MCC as a battering ram to try to break the ruling coalition <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/think-nationally-vote-locally/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ahead of elections</a> to three levels of government this year. He has come out strongly against Dahal’s conduct.There are already hints of friction within the coalition. Madhav Kumar Nepal of the CPN (Unified Socialists) who broke away from Oli’s UML and now a staunch Dahal ally, was not invited to the Baluwatar meeting on Sunday.The UML’s Shankar Pokhrel said Dahal tried to defend himself at the meeting with the prime minister and Oli, saying he never signed the letter. Others in the Maoist party had been posting in social media saying the signature in the letter is forged.Dahal’s daughter Ganga Dahal tweeted a statement from the Maoist party that staunchly defended Dahal: ‘The letter was a diplomatic exercise to protect the national interest, and it has been bent out of context. We are clear that this project cannot go ahead without amendments.’However, the MCC's top officials have ruled out any more amendments, and have laid out a final deadline of 28 February for the project to be ratified by Nepal’s Parliament as required by the contract. This is the reason Prime Minister Deuba is also in a hurry to cobble together the numbers in the House for ratification before then'. <figure><img width="509" height="500" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101120/637208b69c7e80680e0b54ffjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Ganga Dahal's tweet with the Maoist Centre statement.</figcaption></figure>Deuba, however, faces a hurdle because House Speaker Agni Sapkota is a staunch Dahal confidante and has used the UML’s obstruction of Parliament as an excuse to postpone house sittings. Parliament was supposed to have a session on 30 December, but Sapkota put it off by ten days.The reason Deuba needs Oli in the picture is for him to remove his six-month long obstruction of Parliament over Sapkota not disallowing dissident members of the Nepal faction from the House. But it is clear Oli wants his pound of flesh.Deuba’s Nepali Congress by itself does not have the numbers in the House to pass the MCC, and will need either the Maoist Centre and the Unified Socialists, or the UML to pass it. If Dahal and Nepal refuse to go along, and the UML backs the NC, then <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-row-rocks-nepals-ruling-coalition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the coalition</a> is as good as collapsed.It is clear that Dahal cannot now backtrack from his opposition to the MCC even though his party was in a coalition government in 2017 with Prime Minister Deuba during a previous tenure when the MCC was signed.Nepal was selected for the MCC’s ‘threshold program’ when former Maoist ideologue Baburam Bhattarai was prime minister in 2014. Bhattarai is now with the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) and is publicly in support of the MCC. <figure><img width="750" height="457" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101120/637208b89c7e80680e0b5500jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Gyanendra B Karki, then finance minister, now Communication Minister signing the MCC contract in Washington DC in 2017. </figcaption></figure>In a scathing tweet against his former comrade-in-arms on Sunday after Dahal’s signature in the letter became public, Bhattarai noted: ‘Anti-national inside, and nationalist outside ... Nepal will never develop as long as politics is not free of such absurd two-tongued characters.’ <figure><img width="678" height="169" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101120/637208ba9c7e80680e0b5501jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Baburam Bhattarai tweet.</figcaption></figure>There is a geopolitical dimension also to the MCC. The project to upgrade Nepal’s electricity transmission lines does not just <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/mcc-row-rocks-nepals-ruling-coalition/">threaten to split Nepal’s governing coalition</a>, but Nepal’s politicians are also under pressure from the Americans to back the MCC and the Chinese who have <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/china-lobbying-against-mcc/">intensified their lobbying</a> with the political leadership. China’s Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi has been actively meeting coalition leaders in recent months to lobby against the MCC, including with the UML’s K P Oli. The head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Song Tao also held a one hour Zoom talk with Dahal of the Maoists Centre last week. Chinese official media as well as posts on the Weibo platform have been openly attacking American interference in Nepali politics to push the project through. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/is-china-now-micro-managing-nepal-politics/">China sees the MCC</a> as being America’s response to its own Belt Road Initiative (BRI), and as Sino-US relations worsen, Nepal and the MCC have been caught in the middle. With elections approaching, the MCC has also become a factor in Nepal’s domestic politics as well. Deuba finally convinced Dahal and Nepal last month to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-coalition-dilly-dallying-on-polls/">lift their opposition to holding local elections</a> in May after assuring them that the governing alliance would be intact. But the coalition is not expected to survive if the MCC is put to a vote in the House. The Americans are putting up a $500 million grant for the project to upgrade transmission lines and highways in Nepal five years after ratification, while Nepal has committed $130 million. One component of the MCC will upgrade <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-cost-of-no-mcc/">Nepal’s electricity network</a> with a 400kVA transmission line that can also increase export power surplus to India. Nepal’s generation capacity is expected to rise four-fold to 5,000MW by 2025. Another component of the project is to improve highways in Central Nepal to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/generating-electricity-and-cash-for-nepalis/">boost economic growth</a>.

Maoists backpedal on MCC letter

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.