Hetauda most probably to become permanent capital of Province-3, province to be named Bagmati

Ram Chandra Bhandari

Kathmandu, 27 December (2019) - The possibility of Hetauda becoming the permanent capital of Province-3 has become strong.

Despite dissatisfaction of many Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in the province, the incumbent party Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has been left with no option except Hetauda.

Two-third majority of the provincial assembly can fix a province's permanent capital and NCP enjoys two-third majority in Province-3.

An influential MLA of NCP told Lokantar that the winter session of the assembly will start at the end of January and that session will bring the issue of fixing provincial capital and the nomenclature of the province to the conclusion.

NCP will take a formal decision about provincial capital and nomenclature before the assembly's winter session.

"Since different elements are active in bringing chaos in the country the party leadership is not in the mood to take risks by taking the capital elsewhere," he said.

He said that the province will be named Bagmati. "Some friends have proposed the name Newa-Tamsaling and some others have said Nepal-Mandal. There are other alternatives as well. But everyone can be rallied around the name of Bagmati. It has not courted any controversy," the MLA said.

Most of the MLAs from NCP and Nepali Congress are in favour of making the capital city of Province-3 around Kathmandu Valley. After all, 52 MLAs in 110-member provincial assembly represent Kathmandu Valley.

A highly placed source in NCP said that Kavre district also can garner two-third majority in its favour but NCP wants to stop any kinds of instability and conspiracy by keeping Hetauda as the permanent capital of the province.

Main opposition party Nepali Congress is in wait-and-watch mood regarding provincial capital and nomenclature.

Congress MLA Narottam Baidya is in favour of Kavre as the provincial capital and Pashupatinath as the name of the province. "Chief Minister belongs to Hetauda and leader of the opposition is also from Hetauda. That is why they are bent on keeping Hetauda as the capital. But Hetauda is not appropriate for the capital, rather Kavre is."

Provincial Assembly during the monsoon session had formed a working group under the coordination of MLA Deepak Niraula to recommend the permanent capital of the province.

That working group had floated Makawanpur, Kavre, Chitwan, Nuwakot and Bhaktapur districts as the possible capitals.

Talking to Lokantar, Niraula said that even if his working group had proposed five possible districts as permanent capitals the possibility of Hetauda or Kavre remains the highest.

Niraula represents Kathmandu in the provincial assembly and wants the provincial capital to be near central capital but he says that he is forced to follow the party decision.

He said that the issue of provincial capital and nomenclature will conclude during winter session of the parliament.