Kailali, July 16
It has been 22 months since the Sudurpaschim Provincial Assembly decided to establish the provincial capital in Godavari of Kailali. However, the decision has not been implemented yet.
The 45th meeting of the second session of the assembly on September 28, 2018, had named the new capital. However, the decision was controversial since the day it was made. The decision to name the province Sudurpaschim was also made on the same day, which has been effectively implemented ever since.
Meanwhile, the main opposition Nepali Congress party has blamed the provincial government for its failure to establish the capital. “Since the beginning, we had been claiming that the capital should not be established by destroying forests. Moreover, the government did not pay any attention to its implementation,” says the NC parliamentary party leader Rana Bahadur Rawal.
A few lawmakers of the ruling Nepal Communist Party also agree with Rawal. Tara Lama, who had led a parliamentary committee to recommend the name and capital of the province, says the government should have formed a task force to implement the decision.
“The government should prioritise this decision in the new fiscal year,” Lama says.
Meanwhile, two writ petitions against the decision are currently waiting for judgement at the Supreme Court.
