Why spend from Dhukuti to build a tower for rent?

Magh 8, 2081

Editorial

Why spend from Dhukuti to build a tower for rent?

We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:

This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.

The government machinery is engaged in building towers by keeping schools, hospitals and road infrastructural structures. Since they cannot operate such structures built by spending huge amount of money from the state fund, now the situation has come to be leased and rented.

The government, which has issued the 'Special Structure Operation and Management Development Committee (formation order)', has now proceeded with the process of leasing Kathmandu's International Conference Center and Dharahara, Lalitpur Godavari's Sunrise Auditorium, Ruppandehi's Butwal International Auditorium and Butwal International Exhibition Center and Jhapa's Damak View Tower. Since the Nepal government can add the list of structures by publishing a notice in the gazette, the way to lease Pragya Bhavan, dance halls and museums is open in the future. The issue of operating the built structure and earning money from it is positive in itself. But the government will make the country economically and psychologically weaker by creating a structure by adding burden to the treasury and collecting rent without being able to operate it. 

Large structures built by the government are run by a businessman instead of being loose, this is also the practice in other countries. But it is equally important to investigate the question of what need such structures were built. The tendency to structure by spending state funds without a clear action plan for operations and returns should be discouraged. For this, if the policy makers who make such decisions cannot be held accountable, they will do anything for their own desires and whims and abuse of funds will increase. Whoever gets the responsibility of operating the structure that has been created, the process should be transparent. The government's income from it and the timing of its increase should be clear from the beginning. Opaque processes damage the image of both state structures and businessmen. There are many such examples in the past, so there is suspicion in the society about the process that has started now. 

The government's method of spending billions to build gigantic structures and let businessmen run them is not right from any angle. As the government itself cannot operate the existing infrastructure, leasing it to the private sector may not be possible. But in the future, the intention should not be to insist on building a Bhimkaya structure and rent it over time. From such structures to the view towers erected on the hills, they have directly/indirectly played a role in reducing investment in areas that should be prioritized like education and health. Rather, the purpose of the government should be to create a commercial environment in which the private sector builds and operates such buildings. If the government can do its homework on matters such as economic investment, business environment, reasonable return on investment, such structures will be established from place to place by the private sector. According to the economic policy we have taken, that is the way we should walk.

Before the foundation stone of any structure is laid, the planners present such structures as an image of development, but the situation that they cannot operate after the construction is completed is a matter of concern. The contract to build Dharahara was 3.8 billion rupees excluding VAT. Although an agreement was made for 1.56 billion 14.39 thousand to build the view tower of Jhapa, later 1.686 billion 20 thousand was spent. Similarly, the International Convention Center of Kathmandu was built in 2050 with an investment of about 1 billion rupees from China and about 1.5 million rupees from the Government of Nepal. Dharahara's historical identity and international convention center have addressed the current needs. However, what is the justification for the view tower of Jhapa, which cost one billion 68 million? Citizens deprived of basic services like education, health, bridges, roads, suspension bridges are asking this question. If the view tower of Jhapa has commercial value, will the private sector be given the environment to build such a structure or will it be built and leased? If we don't think about this issue, we will be delayed even further in building the infrastructure.

Editorial

Link copied successfully