Kathmandu. Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and Urban Development Kulman Ghising has said that integrated settlement programme could not be successful due to lack of social, environmental and economic aspects of human beings.

Addressing a programme organised by the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction and the United Nations Human Settlement Programme on the occasion of the World Settlement Day in the capital on Monday, he said huge loss of life and property was caused by natural disasters every year due to inability to rebuild human settlements by identifying safe places through geographical risk assessment.

“We have constructed integrated settlements in some places of the country and the developed settlements have been found vacant as we have not been able to connect the communities there with social, environmental and economic aspects,” said Minister Ghising, adding, “Making the unsystematic settlements in rural and urban areas safe and systematic is the biggest challenge at present.” Now, it is necessary to relocate the unsafe settlements by geographical mapping. ’

He said that a master plan of city development would be prepared and a city would be developed as a model and infrastructure would be developed accordingly and the same could be replicated in other city developments.

“There is a practice of developing the city through land division, now we need to move ahead by preparing an integrated master plan for the development of the city,” Ghising said. “The urban beauty cannot be maintained without the beautiful river banks, so the management of the settlements along the river corridors in the Kathmandu Valley is necessary. ’

He said that road, electricity, telephone and drinking water infrastructure have reached the rural areas but the number of settlements is decreasing there. Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure and Transport and Urban Development Kulman Ghising has said that he will take action against those involved in corruption, irregularities and dilly-dallying in the ministries and bodies under the ministries under which he handles.

Speaking at a program organized by the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction Department here today, Minister Ghising warned that the government would be ruthless to the employees involved in wrongdoing. He said that the Ministry of Urban Development, which focuses on the development of big cities, has gone beyond its jurisdiction and is working on a piecemeal plan.