Local Governments Have Begun Work in Productive Sectors: Sapkota
April 26, Kathmandu – Madhav Sapkota, a leader of the Nepal Communist Party, stated that local governments have initiated work not only in unproductive sectors but also in productive areas. Addressing an event held in Kathmandu on Thursday, he highlighted that Jugal Rural Municipality has identified and certified ‘Jugal Mount Everest View Point’ as a new tourist destination in the Jugal area.
Amid ongoing criticism that local governments mostly allocate budgets to unproductive sectors, Sapkota noted that Jugal Rural Municipality has invested in tourism infrastructure, sending a positive message. Emphasizing the need to focus on infrastructure development alongside identifying tourism regions, he expressed dissatisfaction with the unsatisfactory progress in upgrading the road from Balefi to Tembathan.
Sapkota also underscored the necessity of ensuring easy access to Jugal Himal. “Considering the persistent remarks that budgets of our local governments have been spent solely on unproductive sectors, Jugal Rural Municipality has invested in a significant area, and I would like to wholeheartedly praise this,” he said.
“Fundamentally, we politicians and representatives must commit here. From Balefi onwards, there is the Araniko Lokmarga. The road from Balefi to Balefi, Dhande, Kattike to Tembathan is an auxiliary national highway, but it has not seen the expected progress for a long time.” He stressed that protecting natural resources in areas above human settlements must be prioritized.
He also proposed a development plan to expand roads only in human settlement areas before developing foot trails. Furthermore, he informed that infrastructure has been constructed along the Jugal Trek with an investment equivalent to 360 million rupees. “We have recently stated that hydropower projects are effective only below human settlements. However, now, controversies have begun to surface where hydropower projects reach above human settlements, employing explosive methods and causing deforestation,” he explained.