The government is preparing to acquire 100,000 ropanis of land in the Valley for building a ‘Satellite City’ that will accommodate 700,000 people.

The Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA) has already received Rs 160 million for a Detailed Project Report for the first phase of the programme, which is set to be completed in five years. “We have been carrying out studies for appropriate places in the Valley,” said Bhaikaji Tiwari, deputy development commissioner at the KVDA.

Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel announced the project while presenting the budget for the fiscal year 2016/17 last month.

Satellite cities are smaller cities in the suburbs with all kinds of facilities that a metropolis enjoys such as drinking water, transportation, education, drainage system, hospital, separate commercial centres, agricultural farm and free internet service.

“It is a concept of developing organised urban cities with land pooling from

small settlements in the vicinity of the main areas,” said Tiwari.  

Dipendra Sharma, secretary at the Ministry of Urban Development, said the location of making the city will be announced mid-July and the overall task of the satellite city will be completed in five years’ timeframe.

The authority has planned to acquire 30,000 and 50,000 ropanis of land for the project in eight years.

According to Tiwari, the study is being carried out in Sundarijal, Monahora, Duwakot, Kharipati, Gundu, Balko among other areas in Bhaktapur; Bhaisipati, Khokana, Bungmati and Champi in Lalitpur.  

This is not the first time the government has made such a grand development plans though. Former finance minister Ram Sharan Mahat had announced last year to make ‘smart cities’ in Kathmandu Valley, in Lumbini and in Nijgadh, but this has not been materialised.