Lalitpur metro organises public hearing

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 29: Lalitpur Metropolitan City (LMC) has been able to spend only 45.71 per cent of its budget in the first nine months of this fiscal year. 

Organising a public hearing at Jawalakhel on Friday, the metro presented that it had spent Rs. 3.42 billion of its total Rs. 7.50 billion budget announced for the fiscal year 2022/23. Within this, the recurrent expenditure stands at 70 per cent while the capital expenditure stands at only 34.9 per cent.

Asked why the capital expenditure was so low, LMC Deputy Mayor Manjali Shakya Bajracharya said that several policies and laws, including the Public Procurement Act 2007, had prevented the metropolis from working – and spending – as desired.

Mayor Chiri Babu Maharjan also acknowledged that the capital spending was low but felt that it was still higher than the federal and provincial governments. He also said that the procurement act had limited the local level's ability to increase spending on development works.

Presenting the city's 'Status Paper' at the hearing, LMC's Chief Administrative Officer Ganesh Aryal also informed that the city expected to earn Rs. 2.40 billion in revenue this fiscal year and had raised 61.66 per cent of that amount.

Similarly, he said that the city’s arrears had also been decreasing.  In the fiscal year 2019/20, 9.83 per cent of its expenditure was categorised as arrears. Last fiscal year, that figure was 4.15 per cent. 

The Status Paper outlined presented various things the metropolitan claims to have achieved to date. Among them, the city said that it had installed 2,238 smart street lights and 91 CCTV Cameras, constructed 10.7 kilometres of disabled-friendly footpath and built 6.18 kilometres of cycle lanes. 

Likewise, it has set up a one-roof system for the mobilisation of its ambulance, fire brigade and city police and established a Municipal Emergency Operation Centre (MEOC) for crisis management. 

As per the paper, the city provided Rs. 120,000 each to the families of the 392 Lalitpur residents who died of COVID-19. It provided Rs. 60,000 each to the 118 people who were admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and Critical Care Units (CCUs) for treatment of the disease. And it provided up to Rs. 30,000 to the 433 people who obtained general treatment for the coronavirus infection. In total the city spent Rs. 67,110,000 in providing compensation to its residents who were afflicted by or lost their lives to the coronavirus.

In addition to presenting their achievements, LMC officials also took questions and listened to feedback from the general public.

Officials and representatives of Lalitpur district's District Administration Office, District Coordination Committee and the Nepal Police were also present at the hearing.