The 17th Municipal Assembly Session of Kathmandu Metropolitan City will be held next Sunday. The 40th executive meeting of the metropolis has decided to hold the Municipal Assembly meeting on June 29 at 2 pm.
In the meeting, Chief Balendra (Balen) Shah informed that the executive meeting will be held at 9 am on June 29. Although there are 24 agendas, only the date of the Municipal Assembly meeting has been set. The metropolis through the municipal assembly. The budget for the next financial year will be announced .
The meeting of the revenue consultation committee of the metropolis has decided to spend 25 billion 11 crores for the next financial year 2082/83. The budget limit has been determined. In the budget of the coming financial year, 3 percent for economic development, 14 percent for office operation and administration, 51 percent for infrastructure development, 20 percent for social development and 12 percent for good governance and interrelated areas have been set.
Executive meeting could not be held since August 8 due to a clash between Metropolitan Chief Shah and Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Guragai. In the discussion held between Chief Shah, Deputy Chief Sunita Dangol and executive members in Salt Town on Thursday, it was agreed to call an executive meeting.
According to Section 71 of the Local Government Operation Act, 2074, the local level must submit the estimate of revenue and expenditure (budget) for the next fiscal year to the assembly within June 10 after being approved by the executive. But due to the controversy in Kathmandu metropolis, policies and programs and budget have not yet arrived.
The Chief Administrative Officer Guragai is accused of approving the construction map of the Kathmandu Tower building at the old bus park without environmental testing without completing the process to make it from 12 storeys to 19 storeys. The executive meeting held on February 20, 2071 decided to build a tower with private partnership in the old bus park spread over 23 ropani 5 annas 3 paisa 3 dams located in lot number 1373 located in Kathmandu-28. According to the same decision, a bilateral agreement was signed between Jaleshwar Swachhand Bikoi Builders and Mahanagar on 22 February 2071.
The clash between the local and federal governments is one of the main reasons for the budget not coming in time in Kathmandu. Mayor Shah had commented on the social media about Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's opening of a yet-to-be-completed Dharahara in Baisakh 2078, and the Giribandhu tea garden incident, saying that Prime Minister Oli should not do a new scandal to hide the corruption of 10,000 crores. Analysts say that this is the reason why the distance between Prime Minister Oli and Balen has increased up to the level of the chief administrative officer.
If Kathmandu fails to bring the budget on time, it will get a low score in the performance evaluation of the local level and it seems that this will affect the grant. According to the National Natural Resources and Finance Commission, if the local government submits the estimate of revenue and expenditure for the new financial year to the relevant assembly before June 10th, it will be awarded 5 points, and 5 points if it is submitted to the Federal Ministry of Finance by the end of January of the current financial year.
