The government has decided to develop four new towns in Kathmandu valley, investing NPR. 650 billion.
A Cabinet meeting on Monday took a decision to this effect. The Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA) prepared a proposal to develop modern new towns in Kathmandu valley through a public-private venture that will transform a few selected areas into a modern urban center, offering high-quality services, in order to ease the population density in the Kathmandu downtown.
Though it was initially named ‘satellite city’, it was later altered as the proposed infrastructure was not far and didn’t require an expressway to link it with the main city.
The government has already invited expressions of interest from companies to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for a modern satellite city in the Kathmandu valley. It will take around five years to complete the projects as per the Cabinet’s decision.
Sankhu in Kathmandu, Gundu, Balkot, Dadhikot, Duwakot and Changu Narayan in Bhaktapur, and Bhainsepati and Saibu in Lalitpur could be the potential sites to be turned into upscale towns.
The new towns in Kathmandu valley will be developed on 100, 000 ropanis of the area. Sankhu is likely to be a pilot new town in the first phase. The government is planning to start the development process in Kathmandu and then gradually replicate it in Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.
Likewise, the government has also invited national bidders to prepare separate DPRs for the development of new towns in Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, each covering 10, 000 ropanis.
The Urban Ministry has already given the green signal to the authority to initiate the process of preparing the DPR. The government has allocated a budget of NPR. 150 million this fiscal year to prepare a land-use plan for the purpose of constructing a new town in the valley within five years.
A high-level committee led by Urban Development Minister, Arjun Narsingh KC along with four other ministers and nine secretaries from relevant ministries has been formed to ensure things are done in a coordinated manner.
A satellite city or town is an idea in urban planning that refers to an area located near major cities or metropolitan areas. The government has launched the plan to build a new town with the aim of better managing and easing congestion in the Capital by luring residents to move to the outskirts.
The new towns in Kathmandu valley will have modern facilities with well-managed schemes for drinking water, electricity, sewage, hospitals, schools and government offices, among others. As for the land required to develop public infrastructure in the new town, the government will adopt a land-pooling mechanism. At least 5 percent of the total land will be dedicated to the construction of public infrastructure including roads and open spaces.
This project has been set by the government in order to manage population density in the valley. If things went as per the plan, we will soon see a positive change in our valley.