KATHMANDU, May 20: The responsibility of organizing the chaotic city of Kathmandu has been entrusted to women. The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) City Management Department is currently headed by female employees.
The department's leadership team, including the director, the head of the division, and the assistant director, are all women. By providing service with a smile, this team has successfully earned the trust and appreciation of service seekers.
For many citizens, a well-managed metropolitan city includes organized parking, footpaths, markets, buildings, public transport, and service delivery. The City Management Department focuses on organizing and documenting the city by setting standards, issuing approval for house design, and conserving public land.
Previously, the City Management Department received numerous complaints, but citizens are now pleased with the improvements under female leadership. The department's commendable work has been well-received, with many noting that dealing with direct service seekers is a significant challenge. However, the women in charge have managed these challenges efficiently.
When Republica correspondents visited the City Management Department on Friday, Department head Archana Shrestha Shakya was observed assisting service seekers with queries about house design approval, construction completion certificates, and documentation.
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She listened patiently to the customers' problems and provided clear solutions, often advising those who needed help understanding legal processes.
"The main work of the City Management Department involves approving house designs, issuing licenses, providing construction completion certificates, protecting public land, and coordinating to open roads," she said.
According to Director Shakya, challenges inevitably arise while working, but moving forward sensitively while overcoming these challenges is the enjoyable aspect. She says, "Due to mutual disputes in the neighborhood, the tendency to file complaints without evidence has increased. It takes time to manage such complaints driven by personal grudges."
With 25 years of experience in the metropolis, Shakya is now focused on parking management, arranging buildings, roads, footpaths, and electric wires under the "beautiful, clean, and orderly metropolis" campaign. At 57, she is committed to creating an orderly city.
"In the digital era, house design approval is to be done electronically," said Director Shakya. "We are all working towards the goal of making the metropolis an orderly and beautiful city," she added.
Senior Engineer Subha Risal, head of the building permit division, was also seen assisting service seekers with house design approval-related issues, guiding them to the relevant staff when needed. There is a noticeable improvement in the metropolis's work ethic compared to the past. Employees seem more passionate and active towards their duties.
Risal mentioned that while the division's primary task is to approve maps, it now also monitors and regulates houses to ensure they meet standards. She said she finds satisfaction in overcoming challenges and achieving success.
"Service seekers don't understand everything, so sometimes we need to explain the same subject repeatedly," said Risal, who has also been with the metropolis for 25 years. "Now, with a visionary mayor, we are all fulfilling our responsibilities in a comfortable environment. Our main goal is to make Kathmandu clean and orderly. Customer satisfaction is our success," Risal stated.
Ishwaridevi Laudari, the assistant director for the administration of the same department, is also dedicated to solving the problems of the service seekers. She said that the department faced a lot of challenges to organize the chaotic city of Kathmandu and learned lessons from those experiences and progressed.
"Many houses were built by altering road standards and without proper house design approval. We are working to bring such structures within standards through ongoing regulation and monitoring," said Laudari. "All our employees are committed to creating a prosperous metropolis, ensuring that no citizen is deprived of services and that everyone has equal access," Laudari added.
Laudari takes pride in sending off service seekers satisfied. She said, “We strive to provide excellent service to even those who initially doubt the capability of female employees, changing negative perceptions into positive experiences."
