(Candidates for the 21 Falgun elections are reaching out to the public with their manifestos. They are presenting their agenda. At this time, Kantipur is launching a special series ‘Kantipur Bimarsha: Manifesto’ to present the people’s agenda to parties and candidates. You too can write a manifesto for this series, focusing on a specific area. We will give space to manifestos that are based on facts, figures, and logic.)

Currently, the country is undergoing rapid urbanization. When analyzing the urbanization trend in Nepal, it is not happening in a systematic and planned manner. The practice of constructing infrastructure and buildings without an approved plan for settlement development is widespread throughout the country. On the one hand, migration from the hills to the Terai-Madhesh is increasing rapidly, and on the other hand, migration from different parts of the country to the Kathmandu Valley is also happening. This has increased inequality in population density according to geography and area. The population has not been distributed proportionally in the hilly region, which occupies a large area of ​​the country. More than half of the country's population lives in the Terai-Madhesh region, which occupies about 17 percent of the country's total land area. The population of villages and small towns in the hills continues to decline. And, the infrastructure built there is in a situation where it is useless. On the other hand, due to rapid urbanization and settlement expansion, the vast fields of the Terai-Madhesh region, known as the country's granary, are being fragmented into small plots. Disaster risk is increasing as the population living there is being affected by natural disasters such as climate change, floods, landslides, fires, cold waves and windstorms. 

Challenges posed by urbanization and unplanned settlement development

Urbanization is a global process. It has emerged as a major challenge in Nepal as well. According to the 2078 BS census, 27 percent of Nepal's total population lives in urban areas and about 40 percent in urban-type areas. What can be concluded from this is that in the near future, 67 percent of the country's total population will live in cities. Urbanization does not only refer to the state of settlement, but also has an economic, social, political and environmental impact on people's lives.

Urbanization further enhances the cycle of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services and also stimulates the country's economy. Every city is expected to provide adequate service facilities and opportunities for city dwellers. However, if these are not available, their standard of living becomes difficult and this leads to anger and frustration. And, that anger manifests itself in the form of violent protests. The Gen-G rebellion of 23 and 24 Bhadra is a kind of urban rebellion, which quickly ignites, causes widespread loss of wealth and lives in a short time. And, takes the form of a political movement.

In this context, the manifestos of political parties should now have a clear idea - what are the needs and expectations of urban residents? How to fulfill them? Traditional political thinking and election strategies based on villages are no longer useful. As the proportion of urban voters is increasing with urbanization in the country, no party can achieve good results in the elections by ignoring it. The new parties that have emerged recently seem to have understood this issue and have decided their principles, ideas and strategies. It is clear that urban voters are more aware than rural voters and they expect more from political parties.

They are not tempted by cheap slogans and assurances like before. It seems that parties need to carefully formulate their ideas to win the hearts and votes of this class. Parties also need to understand this - now the center of Nepal's politics is not villages but cities and not mountains but Terai-Madhesh. Considering this fact, what are the expectations of urban voters in the election manifesto? What are their needs and priorities? It is appropriate to study and research these issues and propose policies and programs accordingly.

Due to the current unplanned urbanization in the country, arable land is being fragmented and settlements are expanding. However, settlement development without a scientific and practical land use plan is not making proper use of the land that is an important resource. Where to farm? Where to settle? Where to establish industries and factories? Where to grow forests? By indiscriminately building infrastructure without considering these issues, on the one hand, there is no return from those infrastructures and sustainable settlement development has been created.

In some hilly districts, the usefulness of school buildings, health buildings, roads, bridges, electricity transmission lines and telecommunication towers has decreased and these infrastructures are becoming useless. Therefore, the current policies and laws in the field of development and construction should be improved. There is a need to formulate new policies and laws to meet the challenges brought about by urbanization and climate change. Similarly, we cannot turn a blind eye to the revolution taking place in the field of information technology and cannot remain untouched by it. Due to this revolution, the current situation in which old norms are being destroyed and new ones are being established is in a way confusing. The current generation seeks quick results and expects quick service delivery from the ruler. The new generation accepts those who can fulfill this as leaders. This is also the reason for the increasing attraction towards new parties in the country. It is undeniable that the current infrastructure is inadequate for the economic progress of the country. But, how to improve it? How to implement large projects in the fields of electricity, roads, water supply and sewage, telecommunications, information technology, and waste management? There has been no national consensus on these issues. The administration itself is confused due to the policy adopted by the government of one party or one coalition or the practice of another government not taking ownership of the projects it has started.

Problems in selecting and implementing development projects 

Time and money are spent on the feasibility study and preparation of any project. And, when priorities change from government to government, the country's resources are wasted. In addition, the assurances given to citizens by political parties regarding development appear to be hollow and pretentious. Neither the project implementing bodies are confident that any project will start or be completed on time, nor do the stakeholders or beneficiary groups seem to take it seriously.

Political parties and their leaders rush to lay the foundation stone/inaugurate the project, but are indifferent to the smooth implementation/implementation of that project. To the extent that the rest of the project is overshadowed in the rush to inaugurate it before the work is completed. And, there are many examples of citizens being deprived of the benefits provided by the project. Bheri-Babai Diversion Project, Sunsari-Marin Diversion Project, Melamchi Drinking Water Project, Narayangadh-Butwal Road Expansion Project, Muglin-Pokhara Road Expansion Project are vivid examples of this. 

Let's discuss the energy sector. Despite all the hype, the amount of energy production added to the installed capacity every year does not seem satisfactory. And, there is a situation where electricity has to be imported from India during the dry season. In the past, sometimes 10,000 megawatts of electricity were promised in ten years, sometimes 25,000 megawatts in 20 years. However, in the current situation, where even 10 percent of that is difficult to achieve, it is clear that there is a mismatch between political assurances or paper targets and actual progress. Our projects are suffering from a situation where a huge amount of money is spent on project preparation and delays in the project implementation phase, increasing costs and depriving the people of the benefits obtained from it.

Another challenge seen in project selection and implementation in Nepal is the lack of budget certainty. For the past few years, the union and the provinces have been trying to implement large projects through a multi-year contract system. However, the trend of signing contracts haphazardly without carrying out any preparatory work, starting from the feasibility study of the project, and placing financial responsibility on the state is increasing.

In particular, it seems that provincial governments have signed contracts for projects worth billions without ensuring the budget, and there are examples before us of construction entrepreneurs not receiving payment for the work they have completed on the basis of trust. This may undermine the credibility of the government and reduce the interest of competent construction entrepreneurs in projects. For this, the prescribed methods and procedures for establishing a project bank, selecting projects, and implementing them must be followed. Although the concept of a project bank has been in place for a few years. However, it seems that projects are being inserted into the budget and program by leaders instead of leaving the projects that have been entered into the bank. In the current fiscal year, although about 2,200 projects were selected in the project bank of the Ministry of Urban Development, it seems that around 7,000 projects have been included in the budget statement due to the influence of influential ministers. This is an illegal act in terms of economic discipline and fiscal responsibility, but no one will be prosecuted. 

Issues for political leadership to consider

It is necessary to bring about a change in the thinking of political leadership to address the above-mentioned issues. Politicians need to see development projects as a cornerstone for the long-term progress and progress of the country and the people, not just in terms of election agendas and immediate benefits.

In addition, it is necessary for nationally recognized political parties to establish a national consensus while identifying and prioritizing infrastructure projects that are essential for the entire nation. In this way, the project started by one government is continued by another government, and the country benefits when the project is completed on time. When the living standards of the people become comfortable and the country progresses, politicians will ultimately benefit. 

The current practice of making development projects a matter of division and allocating budgets for separate infrastructure for each party has resulted in misuse of limited resources. And, society is being divided on the basis of political beliefs. On the other hand, due to the inability to properly utilize the infrastructure, the expected returns are not being obtained. 

In national-level infrastructure projects, due to insufficient coordination between the federal government and the provincial government with the local level, problems arise in land acquisition, excavation and storage of construction materials. In addition, it is seen that locals obstruct the projects on various pretexts, make irrelevant demands, and endanger the lives and lives of employees and workers working on the projects.

Such undesirable actions are often led by local cadres of political parties. It is the job of politicians to create a favorable and easy environment for the implementation of projects started by the government by completing all the necessary procedures at the central or provincial level by establishing political consensus. However, the obstruction of projects by local cadres of the ruling party itself can be said to be the height of irresponsibility.

In the aspect of personnel management in projects, the tendency to quickly transfer employees who should take important responsibilities, including the chief, seems to be the main reason for the delay in the project. Departmental ministers, as soon as they are appointed, are often seen to be particularly interested in transferring employees instead of focusing on institutional reforms in the ministry. In a country like ours, which has been plagued by political instability for a long time, the culture of transferring high-ranking employees as soon as the government changes has always left employees in a panicked state.

And, they are more preoccupied with protecting their positions or transferring them to positions with better benefits than their work, and cannot focus on fulfilling their assigned responsibilities. In the current situation where no project head is responsible for the loss caused to the state due to delay in a project, it is important to make employees accountable and responsible for their assigned work.

For this, the political leadership must be committed to preparing clear job descriptions for employees with important responsibilities, including project heads, and deputizing them for a specific period of time and making them participants in rewards or punishments based on their work. It is necessary to end the illegal collusion between ministers and secretaries in the appointment, transfer, or deputation of project heads. The first attempt to do so must come from the political leadership.

सुधारका लागि चाल्नुपर्ने कदम

पूर्वाधार आयोजनाको छनोट र कार्यान्वयनमा हाल देखिएका कमीकमजोरी न्यूनीकरण गर्दै आयोजना व्यवस्थापन प्रणालीलाई पारदर्शी, चुस्त, स्फूर्त बनाउन निम्न कदम चाल्नु जरुरी छ— 

१. आयोजनाको सम्भाव्यता अध्ययनलाई प्रभावकारी बनाई क्षेत्रगत आयोजना बैंक स्थापना गरी त्यसबाट आयोजना छान्ने । सो आयोजनालाई पर्याप्त बजेटको व्यवस्था हुने ग्यारेन्टी गर्ने ।

२. विदेशी दातृराष्ट्र निकायको अनुदान वा ऋण सहयोगमा सञ्चालन हुने आयोजना छनोट गर्दा भूराजनीतिक परिस्थिति र जटिलताको ख्याल गर्ने । स्मरण रहोस्, भैरहवा अनि पोखराको अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल, नागढुंगा सुरुङमार्ग र ठूला जलविद्युत् आयोजनाको कार्यान्वयनबाट हामीले राम्रो पाठ सिकेका छौं ।

३. सहरी विकासका क्षेत्रमा साना र मझौला आधुनिक सहर तथा आवासीय कोलोनीको विकास गर्न सरकारका सीमित आर्थिक स्रोतबाट मात्र सम्भव नहुने भएकाले निजी क्षेत्रलाई विश्वासमा लिई स्वदेशी वा विदेशी लगानीलाई प्रोत्साहन गर्ने उद्देश्यले आवश्यक नीति तथा कार्यक्रम तर्जुमा गर्नुपर्छ । निजी क्षेत्रले गर्न सक्ने काममा सरकार आफैं अघि सर्नु ठीक होइन, नियमन र सहजीकरणमा मात्रै सरकारको भूमिका सीमित हुनु राम्रो हुन्छ ।

४. सरकार आफैंले कार्यान्वयन गर्ने विकास निर्माण आयोजनामा वित्तीय व्यवस्थापन गर्दा सरकारको सालबसाली खर्चबाट मात्र सम्भव नहुने भएकोले सार्वजनिक ऋणपत्र, बन्ड, इक्विटी, सार्वजनिक–निजी साझेदारी जस्ता मोडल अवलम्बन गर्न सकिन्छ । जतिसुकै धनी वा विकसित देशमा पनि सरकारको वार्षिक बजेटबाट मात्र पूर्वाधार आयोजना कार्यान्वयन सम्भव हुँदैन । ती देशले त्यहाँ उपलब्ध वित्तीय स्रोत र बाह्य लगानी परिचालन गरी ठूला पूर्वाधार निर्माण गरेका उदाहरण प्रशस्तै भेटिन्छन् । भारत र चीनमा हाल भइरहेको पूर्वाधार निर्माण कार्यमा सरकारको लगानीका अतिरिक्त निजी क्षेत्र तथा बाह्य लगानीमा जोड दिइरहेका छन् ।

५. देशमा विद्यमान पूर्वाधारहरूको नियमित मर्मत सम्भार र सञ्चालन गर्नभन्दा नयाँ–नयाँ आयोजना सुरु गर्ने प्रचलन पनि बढ्दै गएको छ । थोरै खर्चमा मर्मत र सञ्चालन हुन सक्ने पूर्वाधारतिर ध्यान नदिई नयाँ निर्माण गर्दा पहिले गरिएको लगानी खेर जाने अवस्था छ । एकातिर विद्यमान पूर्वाधारको मर्मत सम्भार र सञ्चालनमा राजनीतिकर्मीको चासो नभएको देखिन्छ भने अर्कोतर्फ मर्मत सम्भारका लागि पर्याप्त बजेट व्यवस्था नगर्ने प्रवृत्ति छ । यसका लागि विद्यमान पूर्वाधारको इन्भेन्ट्री तयार गरी मर्मत, सम्भार र सञ्चालनका लागि प्रस्ट नीति र पर्याप्त बजेटको व्यवस्था गर्न आवश्यक छ ।

६. देशमा दक्ष र अनुभवी प्राविधिक कर्मचारीहरूको चरम अभाव सिर्जना भएको अवस्था छ । त्यस्ता जनशक्तिको विदेश पलायन हुनेक्रम बढदो छ । ‘देशमै केही गरौं’ भनेर बसिरहेका युवा पुस्तामा आशा जगाउने, उनीहरूको क्षमता विकास गर्ने, सरकारी कर्मचारीको मनोबल उकास्ने नीति र कार्यक्रम ल्याउनु आवश्यक छ । राजनीतिक आस्था र भक्तिका आधारमा कर्मचारीको नियुक्ति, सरुवा र बढुवा गर्ने हालको प्रचलनमा व्यापक सुधारका लागि राजनीतिक नेतृत्वको चाहना र प्रतिबद्धता आवश्यक पर्छ । साथै राम्रो काम गर्ने निजी क्षेत्रका व्यवसायी, निर्माण कम्पनी र कार्यरत कर्मचारीलाई उत्प्रेरणा र प्रोत्साहन गर्न सरकार अग्रसर हुनुपर्छ ।