MPs take on mayor Shah’s action on street vendors
Balendra Shah, the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), is reluctant to allow street vendors to carry on with their businesses as usual. In contrast, the neighboring Lalitpur Metropolitan City has effectively managed street vendors by allocating specific time slots for their business activities. According to a study conducted by the Center for Informal Economy and Hope for Change, Nepal, a staggering 89 percent of street vendors in Kathmandu are currently relying on loans due to the actions taken by the mayor. Surprisingly, the federal parliament has remained silent on this issue.
Pratik Ghimire of ApEx talked with whips of the three largest political parties in the parliament to understand their take on this matter related to the informal economy.
Sushila Thing
Whip, Nepali Congress
Kathmandu Metropolitan City functions as an independent governing body with the authority to carry out its own actions. The central government or federal parliament lacks the power to issue commands to them. This matter falls outside our jurisdiction. Nonetheless, due to its significant impact on numerous individuals, this matter deserves attention within the parliament. Regrettably, no political parties have brought up this concern, and even the Nepali Congress has not addressed it in its internal parliamentary party meetings. But I now intend to present this issue during our upcoming meeting.
Mahesh Bartaula
Whip, CPN-UML
When individuals find themselves caught between government regulations, authorities often resort to exerting their power over them. But this is the case of livelihood. In this scenario, the government has a responsibility to assume the role of a guardian for its citizens, particularly those residing below the poverty line and struggling to earn a living. Kathmandu Metropolitan City must provide viable options for these individuals. The CPN-UML, serving as the main opposition party, represents the interests of the general populace and will raise this issue in parliament.
Rupa Sosi Chaudhary
Whip, CPN (Maoist Center)
The issue hasn’t been brought up in the parliament to date. This matter encompasses two primary aspects. Firstly, if our aim is to create an aesthetically pleasing and technologically advanced city, we must adhere to a well-defined strategy. For that, we can’t allow arbitrary business activities. But, on the other hand, considering that street vendors have been an integral part of our community for a long time, it’s neither feasible nor advisable to abruptly stop them from doing business as usual. We must, instead, offer them proper alternatives. I will urge my party and colleagues to collaborate with local units, including the KMC, to address this issue.
Good reads
The Light We Carry
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Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles—the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.”
Plains of Discontent: A Political History of Nepal’s Tarai
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Plains of Discontent sheds light on an often-overlooked aspect of the flatlands of the Tarai, where over 50 percent of the country’s population resides. It is in the Tarai that bitter political movements and battles have taken place, raising fundamental questions about Nepali identity and the structure of Nepal as both a nation and a state. To fully comprehend the anger, resentment, and discontent in the Tarai, the book argues, we must delve into its political history. This is a deeply insightful book to gain some perspective on what shapes Nepal.
The Top Five Regrets of The Dying
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How to Kill Men and Get Away with It
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Meet Kitty Collins. Friend, lover, killer. He was following me. That guy from the nightclub who wouldn’t leave me alone. I hadn’t intended to kill him of course. But I wasn’t displeased when I did and, despite the mess I made, I appeared to get away with it. That’s where my addiction started. I’ve got a taste for revenge and quite frankly, I’m killing it.
A deliciously dark, hilariously twisted story about friendship, love, and murder. Fans of My Sister the Serial Killer, How to Kill Your Family, and Killing Eve will love this wickedly clever novel.
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How do you spend your weekend?
Everyone loves weekends. You get a break from your hectic routine. It’s when we can do what we want and spend some time with ourselves or our loved ones. ApEx talked to a few known personalities to find out how they like to spend their weekend.
Reecha Sharma, Actor
I’m quite a homebody. For me, staying home with my family is the best way to spend my weekend. Weekdays are quite hectic for both me and my husband. So the weekend is when we get to have a nice and quiet time with our families. We like to stay home with our son, have lunch together, watch movies, and have some good conversations. We go out sometimes when we have time. It’s usually for hiking or to the movies. But ideally, we both prefer to stay home.
Neer Bikram Shah, Actor
With the work I do, sometimes I need to go shooting or dubbing even on weekends. I think I speak for many actors when I say that we are always hoping to have our weekends to ourselves. I’m always looking forward to having no professional engagements on Fridays and Saturdays. But, when I do have some time to myself, my priority is my family. I love spending time with them on my weekends, especially with my grandkids. They are like my friends. I like to take them out for lunch, movies, or anywhere where we can spend some quality time together. Sometimes, we even go a bit far to places like Dhulikhel and Chandragiri just to grab some lunch. I find that quite refreshing.
Amar Neupane, Writer
I don’t think of weekends as some special day to be very honest. A special day can be any day when I would like to spend some with myself, my friends, and my family. I don’t wait for weekends to give myself a break. Doing research for my next work, meeting new people, and spending time living in different parts of Nepal is what I enjoy the most. And I make time for that as much as I can. On days when I am free, I spend some time with my friends and family. We have gatherings where we share our thoughts, and we go for activities like hiking and trekking.
Nevertheless, for me, an ideal Saturday would be when I can just be by myself, read books, write something based on my months-long research, and just delve into literature. I’m someone who enjoys being on my own. That gives me time to process my thoughts, read the books that I have yet to read, and write something that I have always wanted to.
