Model City Projects

In recent decades, the trend of internal migration in Nepal is intense. If we analyse the migration pattern, people mostly migrate from village to cities and, hills to plains or valleys in search of opportunities and better lives. As per the global trend, in line with the internal migration, the pace of external migration is also on rise in recent years. Historical data show that the rate of internal migration was aggravated during the decade-long armed conflict. The people were compelled to shift from conflict-hit rural areas to safer urban areas, including the capital and other major cities.  In lack of effective measures to discourage the migration, the tempo of the migration rate continued even after the establishment of peace. This has created various social, cultural and economic problems.

With the estblishement of peace in the country, the government forwarded the  Mid-hill Highway projects with the plan of developing various model cities along the highways as an instrument to discourage widespread internal migration. However, the delay in completing the Mid-hills Highway and model cities development projects, the problem of migration has been severe in the  current years. Factors such as lack of jobs and earning activities and education and health services pushed the international mobliyt. Development of model city centres with advanced economic and social infrastructrues in new areas can be effective measures to reduce the trend of internal migration. Such cities will help create earning opportunities essnetial for decent living there and nearby rural areas.  

In a news report published in Tuesday's issue of this daily, the pace of modern city development projects being implemented in Karnali Province are slow even after more than a decade of their initiation. The new city development projects are being implemented in Rakam of Dailekh district, Bheriganga of Surkhet district and Chaurjahari of Rukum-West. Initiated 13 years ago, the city project in Rakam has achieved 65 per cent physical progress and 64 per cent financial progress to date. Infrastructure is being constructed in different segments. Three contracts worth Rs. 90 million are going to be signed in the current fiscal year to expedite the works. For this, tender process will be initiated within a few days. 

Similarly, in Bheriganga City Projects infrastructure development works including quality roads, transmission lines, bus parks, drainage systems, and community and integrated buildings are going in full swing. The project was initiated some eight years ago. In Surkhet, development of master plan to develop new cities along the banks of the Bheri River, connecting Bheriganga, Gurvakot and Lekbesi municipalities, are set to begin this year. 

Likewise, infrastructure development under Chaurjahari City Project are proceeding rapidly. So far, 53 kilometres of road tracks have been opened, and 11 kilometres of roads have been blacktopped. However, the plans to build model cities in Hilsa, Jufal and Namkha have been uncertain due to discontinuation of the plan from current policy and programmes. 

As the development of new cities in various hilly parts of the country, including Karnali will have positive effects in reducing the trend of internal migration and reviving the rural economy by creating economic opportunities, the government needs to focus on the timely completion of the project. It has already been late to control the rampant migration, so the government should ensure the budget for such development projects. At the same time the government should focus on linking such city centres with the productions of rural areas of the surroundings to revive the stagnant rural economy.