KATHMANDU: Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Mayor Balen Shah has proposed holding a meeting of the Resource Estimation and Budget Ceiling Determination Committee amid mounting pressure to finalize the municipal budget.
However, controversy has erupted after it was revealed that the meeting is being convened without the committee’s member-secretary, Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Guragain.
According to KMC sources, Mayor Shah has instructed the administration to prepare the proposal for the meeting, scheduled for June 18, at 11 AM in his office. The absence of Guragain, whose participation is mandatory in such meetings, has cast doubt over the legitimacy and outcome of the session.
As per legal provisions, local governments are required to present their budget by June 24 and have it approved by the end of the month.
With time running out, the lack of a budget meeting has thrown the city’s financial planning into uncertainty.
In addition to the Resource and Budget Committee, other statutory meetings — such as the Executive Committee and the Municipal Assembly — have not been held.
The Local Government Operation Act 2017 mandates that the Executive Committee meet at least once a month, yet Kathmandu’s executive body has not met for over seven months.
The Municipal Assembly, which must convene every six months and is crucial for budget approval, has also not been held. As a result, key development projects, policy decisions, and administrative functions of the metropolis remain stalled.
The committee includes Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol and executive members Nabin Manandhar, Nabaraj Parajuli, Maiya Laxmi Maharjan, and Anita Karki Doli.
Observers say the mayor’s unilateral approach risks further paralyzing governance at the local level, especially as the deadline for budget presentation looms.
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