Kathmandu. The Genji movement has caused an unimaginable loss of life and property. While there is talk of electing a new prime minister, there is also a concern about how and where to start rebuilding the public property destroyed by the anarchic elements.
The white wall of the historical monument Singha Durbar is being seen as a reflection of the future of the country as it is blackened with smoke and smoke.
The fire has set fire to Godawari Assembly Centre, Birendra International Convention Centre, Singha Durbar, Police Division, local level offices, vehicles, and the buildings of the Department of Roads. The government’s development budget is not in a position to bear the cost of reconstruction.
Due to the burden of the federal structure, corruption, deteriorating export trade and limited size of the economy, the government is not in a position to mobilize resources to complete the reconstruction work quickly.
As in the case of a catastrophe like the earthquake, there is little chance that any donor agency will extend a helping hand in the reconstruction of the structures damaged due to the political upheavals this time. However, it will also be an obligation to start the reconstruction work by mobilizing support among other agendas of the next electoral government.
Around Rs 10 billion was invested in the reconstruction of Singha Durbar. Within a year of the completion of the reconstruction work, it was damaged in the fire.
The then Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel had announced the current fiscal year 2082 in May last year. While announcing the budget for 83 years, he announced plans to insure the government’s physical assets. However, they did not allocate the budget.
A large number of public property is damaged not only during riots but also during natural disasters such as floods, landslides and earthquakes. However, the irony is that the government is not ready to insure the government and public property even when the public property is destroyed time and again.
In the Genji movement, one of the most dangerous tendencies among the protesters was not only vandalism and looting, but also arson. During Tuesday’s demonstration, this trend spread across the country faster than the flames, and it is likely that this trend will now take root as a trend of the movement in Nepal.
The Office of the Auditor General has repeatedly suggested to the government to insure the government property. The office, through its 59th annual report, has recommended the government to insure the infrastructures, machines, equipments and systems in use of public offices to protect them from the risk of loss from fire, theft and natural disaster on public property at any time.
If policymakers still don’t learn the lesson of insuring government assets, the situation of unnecessary depletion of state resources will continue.
