KATHMANDU: After months of internal deadlock and tensions, Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is finally set to present its annual budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2025/26 on Sunday.
The decision was made during a long-delayed executive meeting held on Friday, attended by Mayor Balen Shah, Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Guragain, Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol, and ward representatives.
The budget size has been fixed at Rs 25.11 billion. Deputy Mayor Dangol will present the budget at the Municipal Assembly.
The budget estimation and ceiling committee meeting earlier in the day finalized the allocation breakdown: 51% for infrastructure development, 20% for social development, 14% for administrative operations, 12% for governance and interrelations, and 3% for economic programs.
This breakthrough comes after a prolonged standoff between Mayor Shah and CAO Guragain that had paralyzed decision-making since December 2024. A previous attempt by Shah to bypass Guragain and proceed with the budget had failed due to a lack of support from other elected representatives.
The budget was originally due on July 24, as mandated by law, but the internal feud delayed the process. Friday’s meeting marks the first significant progress in restoring normalcy to the capital’s governance.
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