Harkraj Rai, (Harka Sampang), the mayor of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City, is planning for a fifteen member trip to United Kingdom that will take nearly two weeks. This clears the air that he will soon tour other countries and has received different comments from local people and political analysts. While some might see it as an opportunity for the mayor to learn from similar cities and possibly get some foreign investment to put into the city some of the funds, others see an issue with the timing of the trip, not to mention its necessity.
Sampang has been active in the Dharan political activity since he was elected as the mayor of the city; he is a grassroots mayor famous for his closeness with the populace of the city. He has been known for ‘going against the grain’, and his acute interest in local politics that brig his programs both appreciate and criticism. To its advocates, the forthcoming UK trip is an opportunity for the mayor to acquaint himself with models of city progress and possibly enter into cooperation that entails Dharan’s improvement.
However, the critics opine that the same timing is when the mayor needs to be around as the city is grappling with so many issues. Having examined the problems faced at Dharan and many other urban centres in Nepal, there are several challenges which are evident they include; Some of the inhabitants of sub-metropolitan city claim that two-week break would arrest business flow including decision-making processes and other on-going procedures.
The trip has been defended by the mayor’s office as an official visit that seeks to market Dharan internationally and seek inspiration in successful UK models of city development. They stressed that knowledge acquired during this visit may be used when developing new policies and programs for developing Dharan. The office also ensures that deputy mayor and other officials will handle the affairs of the city in Sampang’s absence.
Local political analysts are keenly observing how such visit may influence political popularity, and efficiency of Sampang, the mayor of Malolos City. One grows to think this way if the physical returns are to accrue from the trip must aid in selling his image as a visionary leader. More evidently, some advise that he risks losing public trust unless he is able to balance his foreign responsibilities with local ones.
With word going round that the mayor is soon going to step down, people of Dharan have reacted in a variety of ways. While some will welcome the chance to get the international exposure, others will raise eyebrows at the resources used to organise the trip. An implication of the debate is that local governments in Nepal still experience parenting dilemmas as they function between local constraints and global opportunities.
The visit is also occurring in a time where Dharan has been under a social and cultural concern recently as well. Such issues have been being controversial under the administration of Mayor Sampang and there are people who think that it’s high time that another news concerning his trip to the UK is an attempt to divert the attention of the public. But those in his corner posit that international experience might bring new ideas on how to balance several groups of interests in a community.
With Mayor Harka Sampang about to set off, everything is now on Dharan’s residents’ edge for the possible consequences of this trip. In fact, the upcoming weeks are critical in understanding if the sub-metropolitan city derives certain external interface profits or the aspect turns into a political talking point. We are quite sure that the mayor will face many challenges when it comes to the impact of the global interactions while executing his duties in the local capacity after his return.
