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Mayor: Won’t stop volunteers’ food distribution campaign but Kathmandu shouldn’t be promoted as city of beggars

File: Kathmandu Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya

Kathmandu, November 4

Kathmandu metropolitan city’s mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya says the municipal government under his leadership will not bar volunteers from distributing food to the people rendered jobless due to the Covid-19 crisis.

But, he also expresses concerns that feeding the people in open spaces every could establish the city’s image as the place of beggars, which he does not want.

After the city government mobilised its police force to stop the campaign at Khulamanch a few days back, Shakya is under fire. To defend himself, he organised a press conference and urged the volunteers to seek better options assuring they, however, would not be blocked forcefully.

“I wish those who can work would work. We are ready to work together with the campaigners to ensure that no one is left hungry,” he said, inviting the organisations involved in the initiative for a meeting. He said the city government could hire empty event venues for the volunteers to distribute food at.

“I request all to manage the food distribution programme that is going on in crowded and public places in an unhealthy,” he said, citing the city government was discouraging the efforts based on complaints it received from the public.

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