The nationwide violent demonstrations on the second day of Gen Z movement, triggered by the state’s brutal treatment of young protesters a day prior, reduced over 300 office buildings of local governments across the country to ashes. Hundreds of machinery of municipalities, including vehicles and office equipment, were torched indiscriminately by unruly mobs. In the absence of basic necessities for office operation and with government staffers finding themselves reeling under chaos, fear and uncertainty, vital day-to-day services were halted.

The interim government has started to take stock of the property loss during the protests. Initial estimates suggest the loss of hundreds of billions of rupees. While the caretaker government has been primarily mandated to conduct elections in March, Finance Minister Rameshwore Khanal has said that the government plans to invest Rs100 billion to finance elections as well as reconstruction of damaged public infrastructure.

It will take weeks, if not months, for the reconstruction budget from the federal government to reach the local units. However, day-to-day services cannot remain closed for so long. Therefore, it is encouraging to see that a significant number of communities and individuals have started to mobilise independently across the country to clean, repair and reconstruct the buildings of local governments as the country slowly starts finding stability. The public, it seems, has come to the realisation that they are now navigating a brave new world. In Pokhara, where 26 of 33 ward offices of the metropolis were set ablaze, local residents armed with brooms and shovels cleaned debris, salvaged some equipment and even formed a citizens’ committee as a vanguard for reconstruction efforts. Similar volunteer-driven cleanups in multiple wards enabled damaged offices to reopen within days, despite significant losses.

Across the country, in hotspots of protests like Chitwan, Kailali and Siraha, local residents, social organisations and the private sector are contributing resources—from computers to makeshift facilities—to keep essential government services running. Such grassroots efforts have highlighted the common agency of ordinary citizens, who are refusing to let violence and destruction paralyse their communities.

The political landscape of the country, prior to the Gen Z uprising, enabled political parties to capture public institutions and fill them with corrupt individuals. There was an acceptance, almost a sense of resignation, that public institutions are an extension of political parties. Stepping out of Plato’s cave, the public have finally come face to face with the hard-truth: The institutions are meant to serve them, not the political parties.

As the citizenry emerge as the first responders to the national crisis, communities seem to have gained a sense of ownership of public institutions. It is the first time in decades that the people are so close to the government. This momentum must not be lost. Instead, it should be harnessed by involving the communities that are served by the public institutions, in the planning and reconstruction of the permanent structures that will be built to replace the torched ones.

Through their civic responsibility, Nepali people have shown the world that communities can be the backbone of governance in times of crisis. However, these practices must be given continuity. Communities must work hand-in-hand with the public institutions, not just as watchdogs, but also facilitators of smooth implementation of government plans and policy. The ‘public’ cannot be left out of public institutions any more.