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According to Prof. Mahesh Shrestha in his article
‘Genesis of Urban Poverty’, the increase in urban
population is 6.65 %, the national urban population
is 14.2%, and Kathmandu Valley’s share of the urban
population is 54.5%. This will undoubtedly increase
rapidly due to the prevailing insecurity outside the
Valley which seems to show no signs of abating in
the near future, besides the centralized core of
opportunities and springboard that is Kathmandu.
Slums are ever increasing, huge commercial complexes
are coming up and bigger ones are being planned for.
At one time, mass housing development seemed to be a
risky investment for entrepreneurs, and now, even
apartments seem to be going like hot cakes. Land
prices have never been so high and speculation on
the proposed Outer Ring Road will surely invite more
urban dwellers. Development cannot be restrained, no
doubt, but the concurrent infrastructural
development needs to be foreseen and addressed
accordingly. Take, for example the United World
Trade Centre at the crossing of Tripureshwor and the
Naach Ghar at Rani Pokhari. While their location as
commercial public complexes seem appropriate in
terms of accessibility, the burden on existing
surrounding infrastructure, especially in terms of
traffic, should either be accounted for, or, such
complexes should not be allowed to be constructed at
all.
A few weeks ago, SPACES was invited to participate
in an interaction program on proposed changes to the
National Shelter Policy at the Department of Urban
Development and Building Construction. The
government’s decision to revise the National Shelter
Policy of 1996 could not have come at a more
opportune moment with respect to the present
scenario of the country, and those working on it
need to be commended to have at least initiated it.
Unfortunately, the draft seemed to be so confusing
and superficial that the invitees had a field day
dissecting it. A national policy must be based on
facts and not on presumptions based on outdated
data. Fresh and factual surveys need to be made
before making policies to shape the country’s
future. No doubt, the gathering at the interaction
was large and participated in by a wide section of
related professionals, government bodies and
concerned societies. However, professional bodies
like SONA and SCAEF, who could have contributed
significantly to a policy of such national
importance, were conspicuous by their absence. And,
as the new UN Habitat Programme Manager, Prafulla
M.S. Pradhan, has pointed out, it would have been
better to go for a totally new policy.
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