Kathmandu, 19 May: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inquired about Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah during a meeting held on Monday. The inquiry was made during the meeting of the Republic Day Main Ceremony Committee at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar, where Mayor Shah was absent. Instead, Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol attended the meeting on behalf of the metropolitan city.
Although Prime Minister Oli did not mention Balen Shah by name, he expressed concern over the absence of the capital city’s representative in such an important meeting. He emphasized that elected representatives should be present in future meetings and instructed that their attendance be ensured. Oli stated, “Public representatives must attend important meetings like this. But those who are supposed to be present are often absent. This should not happen in the future, and attendance should be mandatory.”
During the meeting, the Ministry of Home Affairs presented proposals related to the formation of the ceremony committee and the Republic Day programs, which were discussed and approved. The Main Ceremony Committee includes the Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers, State Ministers, the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the Chief Secretary of the Government of Nepal, the Chief of Army Staff, the Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City, senior government officials, the Inspectors General of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force, the Chief Investigation Director of the National Investigation Department, mayors of municipalities within the Kathmandu Valley, and the Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, who will act as the Member Secretary.
The meeting decided that Republic Day, falling on Jestha 15 (May 28), will be celebrated over three days — Jestha 14, 15, and 16 — with the lighting of lamps in all public offices each evening. Government bodies at the federal, provincial, and local levels, as well as relevant organizations and the private sector, will form committees and subcommittees to coordinate the celebrations. Similar programs will also be organized at Nepali embassies, diplomatic missions, and consulates abroad. The main celebration on Jestha 15 will take place at the Army Pavilion in Tundikhel, organized by the Main Ceremony Committee.
Prime Minister Oli called for the Republic Day to be celebrated grandly with public participation and urged that it not be limited to just a formal event.
