The fire highlights a major shortcoming in the way our urban centres are run across the country. Taplejung was declared a municipality, along with 71 other new areas last May. This move undoubtedly promoted the development of urban centres across the country. Most, however, have been expanding as in the past—in an unplanned manner. Village Development Committees were merely converted into municipalities overnight, without upgrading facilities offered to its dwellers. Most still lack fire engines, while ideally, possessing them should have been a prerequisite to being declared a municipality. In case of Taplejung and other 24 newly declared municipalities, the Ministry of Local Development had released a budget of Rs 6 million each at the beginning of the current fiscal year to purchase a fire engine. But it will still take around three more months for Taplejung to receive one. The onus of monitoring the timely call for tenders and the procurement of such an important public good lies on the Local Development Ministry. In that sense, the ministry failed to do its job.

A plan to prevent fires in new urban centres, particularly in the hills and the mountains, is even more important as they all have a similar design. Hotels, shops selling groceries, electronic goods, and clothes all lie adjacent to one another and in a cluster. In case of fires, this puts the entire neighbourhood at risk. Government offices are also at great risk, as they are located close to such centres. To avert such mishaps in the future, the government must ensure that municipalities begin the process of procuring fire engines. A motorcycle fire-fighting unit, as was launched in Kathmandu some time back, which is loaded with dry chemical powder, carbon dioxide gas, and first aid could also be of help. In the long run, more investment in equipment and training personnel for fire control can help fight blazes such as the Fungling inferno.