Mayor Balen and Sunita Break the Silence, Now Collaborating for the Budget
Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah has finally initiated steps to resume the long-stalled executive meetings and municipal assembly sessions. In a recent move, he held a closed-door discussion with Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol and three ward chairs from different political parties.
According to sources, the meeting included Kathmandu Metropolitan spokesperson and Ward 17 Chair Naveen Manandhar (from Nepali Congress), Ward 32 Chair Nawaraj Parajuli (from CPN-UML), and Ward 15 Chair Ishwar Man Dangol (from CPN Unified Socialist).
One participant revealed that Mayor Balen proposed moving forward in cooperation. The discussion also focused on setting the agenda for the upcoming executive meeting and municipal assembly, which he agreed to call soon. The participants said such discussions would continue.
Kathmandu Metropolitan City has not held an executive meeting since Poush 14 (late December). A dispute involving Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Guragain had created a deep rift, with Mayor Balen on one side and Deputy Mayor Dangol and most executive members on the other. With minimal support from the city staff, Balen has now begun efforts to rebuild trust among elected representatives.
The four-hour-long meeting with ward chairs ended around 4 p.m., after which Mayor Balen and Deputy Mayor Dangol held a separate one-on-one conversation. According to city sources, this marked the end of a nearly two-and-a-half-month silence between the two top officials.
The conflict began after Mayor Balen suspended Chief Administrative Officer Saroj Guragain on charges of corruption, a move that led to significant internal clashes. As most elected members and staff rallied behind Guragain, Balen was left isolated. Deputy Mayor Dangol played an active role in reinstating Guragain to the office, further straining her relationship with the mayor. Since then, Balen has not spoken with either the deputy mayor or Guragain.
This communication gap has paralyzed the metropolitan office. No discussion has yet started on the upcoming annual budget, which is due by Asar 15 (late June). Without executive meetings, key policy decisions have also been left in limbo.
Now, with executive and municipal assembly sessions likely to resume, elected representatives are hopeful that the city will deliver its budget on time.
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