Hello Mahanagar, a hotline service ‘1180’ established by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) to address the problems faced by its citizens has been defunct for more than four months. Only two complaints from the public were found to have been registered when the Post checked with the Metropolis’ Public Liaison Office at Teku on Monday.

If residents of the KMC are made aware of the hotline 1180, the metropolis cannot handle the complains, the metropolis is full of problems such as; sewerage, garbage, street lamps, damaged roads,  water leakages, stray animals, haphazard parking, noise pollution, black market, and so on so forth.   

The two complaints that were filed on phone on August 28 and September 4, were by Sishir Ratna Stapit from Kalanki. It was about food adulteration and people burning and polluting in his locality. The other was by Radhey Shyam Mishara.  It was about KMC’s officials, not picking trashes from his area.  

The metropolis alone has around three million population, fifty percent residents are out of the Valley, according to Nawaraj Dhakal, joint spokesperson of the KMC.  

“I never knew that metropolis has run a hotline,” said Kedar Prasad Dahal, a resident of Tripureshwor. “There are many things to complain, everything is shitty here,” added Dahal, who had bombarded with many problems faced by the residents of ward-11 in the metropolis during the public hearing programme last week.  He also said that those who know do not complain, knowing that the metropolis will not do anything.

Krishna Prasad Chapagain, liaison officer at the metropolis said he is workless in his office. “Nobody calls here,” said Chapagain who was appointed as liaison officer on September 4 in the Teku based office.

Talking to the Post, he said, he does not have terms of reference (ToR) from the metropolis. “I myself do not know what my work is here,” he said.

His office on the third floor of the Environment Division Office does not have a computer. The two complains arrived written on a piece of paper with bad hand-writing. “If we were to get complains from the public and if it needs to be addressed, I need an assistant to keep all those records. A single person cannot handle it,” he said.

Chapagain was transferred from the education department of the KMC. His work is to come to the office, bask in the sun, sip tea and go back home.

When the Post spoke to KMC Administration Division Chief Ganesh Tahapaliya, he blamed Chapagain and his inability to publicise KMC’s drive.

“We will soon transfer the office to the KMc’s main office in JDA building in Sundhara. We have already written a letter to Nepal Telecom,” said Thapaliya.

The metropolis has displayed a large signboard on the left side of the main entrance door of the Division office that reads, ‘Established by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City to immediately address various kinds of complaints of the residents of the metropolis from 5 am to 10 pm’.

Good intent, but, Hello, 1180, where are the complainants?