The commitment letter also mentions plans to operate the Butwal Medical College, upgrade the Butwal Multiple Campus, construct academic buildings and hostels in the community campus, establish agricultural and engineering campuses, and prioritize technical education.
What you should know
UML Vice President and former Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel has made public a 20-point commitment with the aim of developing Butwal as a central city of the economy.
Poudel, who is a candidate for the House of Representatives from Rupandehi-2, made the commitment public at a press conference at the party office Sukhkhanagar on Friday. He made the commitment public by covering 20 areas including employment-oriented education, quality health, employment, expansion of IT-based industries and businesses, upgrading of national roads, urban infrastructure development, solving land problems, construction of Motipur Industrial Zone, making Rupandehi an investment center, employment hub, construction of a signature bridge on the Tinau River, Kaligandaki-Tinau River diversion, and completion of the Lumbini Master Plan.
He has also expressed his commitment to develop Rupandehi as a leading district in the country by advancing physical and human development in parallel. He claims that a policy of 'showing by doing, not talking' has been adopted. "We have brought election commitments by including only plans that can be done, have already been implemented and will yield results," he said. "We have fulfilled and will do what we say."
The commitment letter includes plans such as the Kaligandaki-Tinau River Diversion Multipurpose Project, the Butwal-Pokhara road upgrade plan to reduce travel time to two hours, the construction of an international-level stadium, integrated urban infrastructure development, the Greater Lumbini Project, the Agricultural Wholesale Market Center, a model project for Chure conservation, hill station development, long-term solutions to land and squatter problems, and underground management of electricity and communication cables.
With the slogan 'The basis of a prosperous Rupandehi: Education, Health, Employment and Infrastructure', the public commitment letter presents a blueprint for education, health, employment and self-employment, roads, bridges and urban infrastructure, industry and trade, agriculture, irrigation, river and landslide control, tourism, land management, sports, electricity, communication, information technology, social security and economic development. His commitment letter states that construction will begin now that the DPR of the Kaligandaki-Tinau Multipurpose Diversion Project has been prepared.
It has been mentioned in the urban development that all wards will be facilitated through the Integrated Urban Infrastructure Development Program, high-tension lines between settlements will be removed, electricity, internet and street light wires will be taken to the underground distribution system in all three municipalities, and Butwal will be developed in a metropolitan format and moved towards a metropolitan city. In education, a plan has been put forward to make Rupandehi a major center for schools and higher education. For this, it is mentioned that emphasis will be placed on expanding educational physical infrastructure, managing skilled human resources, and quality education. The goals of further organizing BTI and KNIT as technical schools, expanding the capacity of Lumbini Buddhist University to attract domestic and foreign students, supporting the establishment of Nepal University, and converting Lumbini Commerce Campus into a university of management and information technology have also been included.
The commitment letter also mentions the plan to operate Butwal Medical College, upgrade Butwal Multipurpose Campus, construct academic buildings and hostels in community campuses, establish agriculture and engineering campuses, and prioritize technical education. The goal is to provide quality services in the health sector without having to go to the capital or elsewhere. It is mentioned that the 1,200-bed infrastructure of Lumbini Provincial Hospital will be completed and equipment and manpower will be managed, basic hospitals will be upgraded in areas including Sainamaina and Tilottama, Ayurveda and naturopathy services will be expanded, the capacity of community hospitals will be increased, and free blood transfusion services will be ensured through health insurance.
It is stated that priority will be given to information technology-based industries in creating employment and self-employment. It is mentioned that soft loans will be introduced to establish industries in the fields of software development, data science, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, startup funds for youth, skill development training, and programs will be introduced to create opportunities for youth who have returned from abroad to use their skills and capital in productive sectors, and to work alongside their studies. A plan has been made public to run the 'Greater Lumbini Area Development Program' covering Butwal, Tilottama and Sainamaina in urban development, and to build modern roads, sewers, parks, sidewalks, parking, smart bus parks, elderly rest areas and an international conference center. The goal has been to expand the industrial area, create a private investment-friendly environment, upgrade the Butwal industrial area, operate an integrated check post and reorganize the commercial area to promote industry, trade and investment.
It is mentioned that in the agricultural sector, products will be connected to the national and international markets, use modern technology, train farmers, ensure credit and market access, build an agricultural wholesale market center and run a model project for Chure conservation. DR Ghimire, coordinator of the election campaign committee, said that only plans that can be implemented in a way that wins the trust of the people have been included in the commitment letter. Poudel, who has been elected four times in a row from Rupandehi-2, is looking for a fifth victory. He is being challenged by Chunna Prasad Poudel of the Nepali Congress and Sulabh Kharel of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
