Kathmandu, the majestic and lively capital of Nepal, is mostly the talk of the whole world. The beauty of Nepal, cultural diversity, and geographical differences make Nepal outstanding in the world. With the same discussion, comes the beauty and diversity present in the capital city of the country.

However, at this present time, Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal is famous not for its beauty in differences but for a political reason. The newly elected mayor of the capital, Balendra Shah, commonly famous among the general public as Balen Shah is a hot and trending topic throughout the country as well as abroad.

To the results published after the elections on May 20, 2022, Balendra Shah grabbed the authority of the Mayor of the city against old political party leaders with the majority of votes. Born on April 27, 1990, in Kathmandu itself, Balen marked his 33^rd birthday this year.

Balen was not always into politics; instead, youths knew him as a rapper. His musical career in Nepalese hip-hop is also widely known among Nepalese youths. Besides, Balen also holds an engineering degree. He did his alma mater in structural engineering. His knowledge has captivated a lot to ensure the beauty of Kathmandu Valley with proper management.

Reasons Why is Kathmandu Called Balen City Nowadays

The major activities that the mayor conducted during his reign are worth remarkable. A few to mention are;

Transparency in municipal meetings

Youth icon and independent party leader Balen chose to break the old tradition and political instability of the city and try a unique and better agenda for prosperous development. This made him the most respected political leader among the general public. Balen entered into a political career in 2022 officially.

Since then he has done numerous good works and remarkable activities that make him stand against all the other leaders. Right after the oath ceremony as a mayor, Balen introduced transparency in municipal council meetings by letting them be live-telecasted. This was the first time, that government activities at the municipal level were live telecasted.

The general public was able to know the discussion for the city that are about to be conducted and the design plans that have been made to implement them. This depicted him as a leader made by people for people. This is just the beginning of transparency in government activities.

Accessible public services with tie-ups with local business

Balen also encouraged local vendors and businesses to provide free access to the restrooms for the general public. This provided the public with a better and safe environment concerning their health as well.

Solid Waste Management

The major issue in the Kathmandu Valley was the solid waste that had been dismantled in every corner of the city. There was no proper management and the roads were often occupied by waste rather than people. The landfill of Kathmandu Valley, Sisdol, was protested by the general public since it impacted their health severely.

During the pre-election rally, Balen promised to address the issue. The promises made to the general public were a must to be fulfilled by a good leader. Depicting himself as a good leader, Balen did address the issue. Despite the conflict that took place during the period of waste management, Balen addressed it quite critically and made the waste management successful inside the valley. The overall environment has been drastically improved with better management of waste.

Demolition of illegal buildings

Kathmandu Valley, known for its ancestral buildings and designs had been hidden by numerous buildings and housings. The mayor of the city, in direct contact with the municipal office, conducted the demolition of illegal buildings in the city. All the buildings that were built illegally, that did not fit proper criteria and without approval of the municipality were demolished after 35 days’ prior notice.

Balen ensured no individual is greater than the law itself. He even faced a petition that was filed by the business that was affected during this campaign. But, this did not let our mayor step back. Instead, he made sure that every building that was constructed illegally was demolished. It even included the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal and Nepal Police substations. This made the law and order in the city stronger and the public restored faith in the law of the country.

Beautification of the valley

Similarly, with his knowledge as his asset, Balen was also instructed to uncover the Tukucha River by demolishing the illegal buildings built over it. This aimed to restore the beauty and heritage of the city. Further, the new buildings legally are constructed with the ancestral beauty to restore the value of the valley. Many new beautification projects of the Kathmandu valley including renovation of temples, and old taps i.e. Dhunge dhara have been initiated as well. Today, the streets of Kathmandu are filled with numerous flora under a clean city campaign.

Improved education system

Not only in management and beautification, but Shah also ensured a proper education system with practical knowledge for the students in the valley. The government schools of Valley are now stronger and more fruitful for students as compared to private schools.

The students from poor backgrounds but high intellect are provided with scholarships for higher studies. More practical knowledge like sewing, pottery, the base of construction, and many more life skills are being taught in the schools to shape the student’s future brighter. Balen also introduced fee management from private schools to reduce the burden on the parents as well.

Managed parking and strict traffic rules

Further, the proper parking system of the valley has been introduced by the mayor for safe and managed parking in the city. The unmanaged parking on every corner of streets brought numerous accidents on the road and also great difficulty for the general public to walk. But, with the system introduced, roads are comparatively more safe and wide. People tend to follow the rules and regulations as strict check-in has been introduced in the valley.

The occupancy of footpaths with local vendors also brought a lot of disturbance in the roads. The unpermitted business that ran in the streets of Kathmandu has also been removed by the campaign run under the mayor. This brings the spark of hope that law and order have to be strictly followed in the city and everyone abides by it.

The good works of Balendra Shah are still counted. The vision of development and betterment that he had for the city has been slowly taking shape. Now walking in the streets of Kathmandu gives a person ancestral vibes along with beauty. The reduced pollution, waste management of the city, transparency in political works, and hotline number for a safer environment has brought Nepalese citizen to restore faith in the system and politics.

Today, Kathmandu the capital city is in the developing phase because of the wider vision of the mayor Balendra Shah. The criticism faced by the mayor is undoubtedly raising too for his different campaigns. But breaking the monotonous political status of the Kathmandu valley, there have been numerous positive changes that took place during his reign. The betterment of the valley is because of the strong willpower and desire of our mayor in charge.

For all the positive aspects covered by Mayor Balendra Shah for the enhanced environment of the Kathmandu valley, he is said to be the people’s leader. This is a major reason why everyone today knows the capital of Nepal, the Kathmandu Valley as Balen City.

Writer: Nilam Acharya