Nepal

Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has signed an agreement with Nepal Trust to rent the Kathmandu Plaza for office space. The agreement was signed by Basant Adhikari, the chief administrative officer of the metropolis, and Bishnu Prasad Dhakal, joint secretary of the trust, in the presence of the Executive Secretary of Nepal Trust, Sarju Kumar Vaidya.

After the signing, Adhikari directed the immediate transfer of the documentation section, the cooperative wing, and other departments under the District Coordination Committee to the new building “without interrupting the services”.

Under the agreement, the metropolis will repair damaged and broken structures, including the windows, doors, and elevators in the plaza. The repair costs will be deducted from the rent amount, while other repairs will be borne by the metropolis itself. No changes will be made to the external structure of the building.

The building will be used by the metropolis for office purposes. The metropolis will pay utility bills, including electricity and water.

According to Basanta Acharya, information officer of the metropolis, two operational restaurants have now been sealed. The metropolis will keep deducting the rent amount until the sealed offices of those two firms were vacated. This agreement runs through a period of 10 years, with clause that the rent will increase by 10 per cent from the sixth year.

The seven-storey building has 119,000 square feet of office spaces and parking for 70 four-wheelers and 200 two-wheelers. The earthquake of 2015 rendered the metropolis’ old Bagdurbar offices structurally weak for office operations.

Currently, some of the KMC’s services are run from the JDA complex located at Sundhara, but due to space constraints, most of the KMC offices are scattered throughout the city. Whereas, the office of the metropolitan police, legal and the court section are in the old Bagdurbar building.

According to KMC officials, work efficiency and service delivery of KMC have been hit by the scattered offices. They say this new office will help the metropolis bring all the services under one roof, thereby improving the delivery of municipal services.