Politics in the city of Kathmandu underwent a significant transformation earlier this year. After the 2022 municipal elections, the city underwent a massive political shift, and everyone saw Balendra Shah, aka Balen, become the new mayor.
Balen Shah, a nonpolitical figure, was able to unseat his rivals thanks to public optimism that, given the chance, he could transform the city and even the entire nation. Srijana Singh, a candidate for the Nepali Congress, received 38,341 votes, while Keshav Sthapit, a candidate for the Communist Party, received 38,117 votes. The independent candidate, whose electoral symbol was a stick called “Lauro,” (Stick) shocked everyone by winning 61,767 votes.
Keshav Sthapit, a former mayor of Kathmandu, is another person who contested the election. Balen Shah defeated Keshav Sthapit by more than 23,000 votes. Balen was supported by a number of popular hashtags throughout the election campaigns, the most well-known of which were #BalenForMayor and #AbaYuvakoPalo (now it is the youth’s turn).
A well-known figure in Nepali hip-hop music, Balen Shah is a structural engineer by profession. Thanks to his rap songs, he has long been well-liked by the general public, especially the younger generation. Due to the sort of work he has been conducting since the beginning of his tenure, Balen has been more often in the news. People want him to be chosen as the future prime minister of Nepal because they are so inspired by his ideas and disciplined actions.
Mission and Vision of Balen
Prior to the elections, Sanjay Silwal Gupta interviewed Balen Shah for his podcast channel. This interview was beneficial for Shah because it went viral and received more than 13 lakh views. Through this interview, the people of Kathmandu were better able to comprehend his visions, which ultimately contributed to Balen becoming a more well-known figure.
Balen began this talk by discussing the Kathmandu Metro Rail. He thinks that building a metro in Kathmandu would require financial assistance from other nations, but the benefits it would bring go beyond only financial ones. People would have mental serenity thanks to the metro because travelling would be more convenient and easy, and the traffic issue would also be resolved. The metro will help reduce the city’s already high pollution levels. People were particularly pleased by Shah’s attitude that the mental health and comfort of the general populace mattered, since that is the type of leader that the public has been looking for.
Shah also concentrated on the management of traffic, which included automated and multi-level parking. He also imparted his extensive understanding of the Newari Civilization and the Kathmandu Valley.
In the healthcare field, according to Shah, a call centre and GPS would be necessary for easy access to ambulances throughout the city. Every ward requires a health facility and a computerised system for keeping medical records. Ayurvedic medicine and health tourism were highlighted by him. Shah differs from other leaders in his belief that greater medical and healthcare facilities would encourage tourism.
According to his mayoral agenda, every ward should have a sports club so that competitions can be held on a regular basis and talented athletes can receive the support they require. According to him, a sports culture must exist in order to create a team that can qualify for the World Cup, and it is time to create that culture.
It is possible to build soccer and cricket fields, as well as sports academies and clubs, on the vacant lots scattered across the city. He believes that encouraging sports should be a component of developmental initiatives since it keeps people healthy, happy, and engaged, and it also prevents teenagers from being involved in drugs and gambling.
He believes there should be something akin to an idea bank, which would give visionaries with ideas and money to invest a chance. Additionally, the bank will aim to offer fresh investment concepts to those with capital. The bank can assist with both creative ideas and the labour and other resources required for a certain arrangement.
He believes that every home must participate in the management of daily garbage as part of his waste management programme. Organic wastes can be recycled and used for fuel, energy, and compost production if they are correctly handled and segregated from other trash.
According to Shah, Kathmandu’s town planning needs to be done to protect its cultural legacy. He believes that the historical heritage was created while taking into account the resources and culture of a location that has its own value and significance. The city has begun to grow uncontrollably as a result of excessive industrialization and urbanisation, and illicit construction has increased recently.
Shah notified all illegal property owners to leave the area 35 days after taking office as mayor of the city. After the warning period had passed, he took strong action in this regard and began deploying bulldozers to demolish all the unlawful structures throughout the city. We have witnessed numerous instances of the government taking such actions, but the majority of the time it is the owners of tiny businesses that suffer because the wealthy ones are excluded, but Shah’s bulldozer made no distinction. Even illegal parts of the RB Complex, Alpha Beta Building, and Kathmandu Mall were demolished.
According to the law, every high-rise structure in the city was required to include a system of underground parking, and the government had given its approval because the parking was shown in the blueprint. However, the owners erroneously built commercial flats on those floors, which led to an unlawful parking system on the street that disrupted the city’s traffic.
Hundred days of Mayor Balen
The mayor recently completed his first 100 days in office and shared his performance report with the public on social media. He mentioned in his report how difficult it was to get tiny stall owners off of sidewalks, although footpaths are there for people to walk on, not for stalls. While putting emotions aside, certain difficult decisions must be made.
Balen has also expressed his thoughts on allocating Rs 1 crore to eSports. He claimed that sports are crucial for growth and may perhaps become a significant source of revenue in the near future. He has also mentioned building a park and installing a statue of “Yama Buddha,” a late rapper highly recognised for elevating Nepali hip-hop music.
He also explained that although waste management work couldn’t be finished in time, efforts are being made to make the city greener and cleaner. Citing the Norvic International Hospital as an example, he stated that his rigorous determination to demolish unlawful constructions in all areas of the city is for all structures and would not be reversed under any circumstances because doing so is urgently needed. Since building the canteen without a licence on land leased from KMC, Norvic International Hospital has been involved in controversy.
Additionally, Balen stated on his social media accounts that he had well-thought-out plans not only for the next 100 days but also for the next five years. Despite the criticism he would likely encounter in the next few days, he has stated he would keep striving for the improvement of the city and the general populace.
