Anju Malla Pradhan
President
Society of Nepalese Architects
Doctors register at the Nepal Medical Council and have the right to practice all over Nepal. Similarly lawyers register at the Bar Council which gives them the right to practice anywhere in the country. Why is it that architects are made to register in almost every municipality before commencing with projects in that particular area despite the fact that they are already registered with the Nepal Engineering Council (NEC)? This - somehow - makes the very existence of NEC redundant.
There are now six metropolitan cities, 10 sub metropolitan cities and 277 municipalities totaling 293 local bodies where a practicing architect has to register if they are doing a project in any of them. The registration fee varies with no reason.
Example of fee per annum:
Lalitpur: Rs. 7,000
Changunarayan: Rs. 10,000 registration and annual renewal Rs.1,500
Melamchi: Rs. 3,000
Dhulikhel: Rs. 3,000.00
Palungtar: Free
Madhyapur: Free
Chandragiri: Rs. 5,000
Kathmandu: Rs. 10,000
Suryabinayak: Free
Itahari: Rs. 10,000
Biratnagar: Rs. 10,000
There are 11 municipalities within Kathmandu district itself, making it tough for all practicing architects to be able to work within the valley boundaries itself. This should be known and understood by the general public and those in governance too.
Nepal a country famed for natural beauty and its architectural destination has somehow failed to understand the dilemma of architecture as a profession. This maybe yet another valid reason why we see so many fresh graduates leave the country in search of greener pastures abroad.
