Barely a week after returning from a weeklong visit to South Korea, Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Bidhya Sundar Shakya embarked on another trip to Spain on Monday.

According to KMC officials, Shakya will sign a sister city agreement with Madrid during his five-day visit. The signing with the Spanish capital will take the number of KMC’s sister cities to 15, said KMC Spokesman Gyanendra Karki.   

Shakya, who had led an entourage comprising mayors from 10 municipalities to South Korea to take stock of smart cities last week, is accompanied by his wife and incumbent executive officer at KMC Dhani Ram Sharma on the latest tour.

However, Shakya’s deputy Hari Prabha Khadgi said she was unaware of the purpose of mayor’s visit. “He just told me that he was leaving for Spain,” said Khadgi.

This was not the first time that the mayor had kept his deputy in the dark about the intent of his foreign visit, indicating a widening rift between the top KMC officials. “He did not inform me about the purpose of his previous visit. As the head of the metropolis, it’s his duty to inform us about his visits and achievements,” she said.