Opinion
Mayor of mayhem
Aspiring Kathmandu mayors need to answer a bunch of questions to help voters make an informed choiceSanjay Poudyal
Outbursts of interest have become public for the position of Kathmandu’s mayor with promises to bring glory to this chaotic metropolis. After a hiatus of almost two decades, Kathmandu aims to appoint a city manager who is accountable to the electoral public. The Herculean responsibility of resurrecting Kathmandu as a civilised city cannot be bestowed upon the fainthearted. This is not an experiment to be conducted on a trial and error basis. There is too much at stake here for voters to blindly toe the political line at the voting booth. Some poignant and difficult questions need to be put forth to seek the candidates’ position on how they intend to address issues that have long overwhelmed the city.
Vision to reality
It isn’t enough for the candidates to project themselves as being fit for the role of mayor because they belong to a younger generation with a ‘different and fresh’ air. A brief reflection on what the young political leaders have achieved vis-à-vis their senior contemporaries is enough to deduce that the ‘new’ generation does not imply a ‘smarter’ generation. It is also inadequate for candidates to announce their candidacy buoyed by their political network, past experience or relevant academic qualification.
What Kathmandu needs is a leader that possesses the wherewithal to challenge the status quo. The city is gasping for a personality that not only has a high level vision, but specific plans to transform it into reality. Someone who does not succumb to political pressure and someone who operates independently, at an arm’s length from Singha Durbar. None of the candidates have unveiled their specific plans on how they intend to turn Kathmandu into the next Colombo. Against this backdrop, casting one’s vote will be akin to walking into an exam without an iota of preparation while leaving the results to the grace of Pashupatinath.
For an informed verdict
Below are a list of questions which, if the candidates answer them, will prepare voters to execute an appropriate verdict at the voting booth. After 20 years of unaccountability, how do you plan to catch up with peer cities in the region?
You have witnessed functioning traffic lights on your visits abroad. How will you spearhead installation of such lights in Kathmandu?
Will you campaign for subsidised air masks for Dustmandu’s residents to combat its lethal air pollution or do you have a more tangible intervention planned?
Do you believe that animal rights extend to stray dogs and cattle freely roaming the streets? If not, what is your plan to deal with this menace?
Will you continue the legacy of publicity stunts as a regulatory instrument against misdemeanours such as public disposal of trash, not wearing seatbelts, carrying passengers on the roof of public transport vehicle and honking horns only to see them fizzle at the end? Do you have a more effective measure against such misdemeanours?
Do you believe that shops set up on footpaths provide income opportunities to shop owners and convenience to consumers and therefore should be continued? If not, how do you intend to return footpaths to pedestrians?
To demonstrate how poor Kathmandu’s roads are, a foreign diplomat once suggested advising pregnant women that they avoid the roads due to risk of miscarriage. A mayoral aspirant cannot lay the deplorable state of the road today solely on the Melamchi project. The voting public deserves to understand whether Kathmandu’s roads will ever enhance mobility rather than continue to restrict it.
The snowballing number of vehicles compound traffic gridlock across the city. Kathmandu witnesses traffic congestion throughout the day while even two-three years ago it was limited to peak hours only. It is no secret that government policy encourages vehicle import as tax revenues provide a mainstay to government finance. Generous kickbacks from auto dealers also ensure that their business continues to thrive. Cities such as Stockholm, Singapore and London have implemented congestion fees to discourage driving during peak hours. What does the hopeful mayor suggest is the solution for Kathmandu?
Studies have been conducted on the feasibility of mass transport such as metro, monorail and urban rail as a meaningful substitute to private vehicles and an effective alternate to dysfunctional public transport; however, such studies have remained only on paper. The public transport system run by the transport mafia contravene all regulations by paying off the police. How does the prospective mayor plan to penetrate this nexus?
It is demoralising to read about new constructions springing up by dishonouring the building code introduced after the 2015 earthquake. What is the mayor’s plan to stop such blatant violation of safety protocols while the wounds from the disaster remain unforgotten, let alone healed?
Kathmandu has a sports stadium that is in a state of despair, similar to everything else that seems to have fallen apart. It is regrettable that the city is unable to host international sporting events as the level of infrastructure provided by Dashrath Stadium is inadequate. Nepal has been a laughing stock in the international arena for exemplifying the worst, and this holds true with sports as well. Does the mayor propose a remedy?
Finally, Kathmandu’s airport continues to grab headlines in international media for being ranked as one of the worst in the world. Nepal’s main gateway is often seen as emblematic of the city in which it is located. At the moment, TIA resembles a poor picture of the state of the city. Its poor infrastructure is no longer able to cater to the growth in air traffic and deliver quality service. News about monkeys being spotted inside the terminal and animals wandering onto the runway are common sources of public ridicule. How does the mayor plan to unravel this disorder?
The convenient answer is that most issues fall outside the city’s municipal jurisdiction, and without support from other government agencies, they cannot be solved. The candidates need to rise above the situation and introspect whether they will opt for convenient excuses. Subsequently, the perennial question resurfaces: Who wants to be Kathmandu’s mayor?
Poudyal is a managing partner of VRock and Company, a consulting and advisory firm