The government has directed all the municipalities across the country to set up city information centres (CICs).

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development on Monday wrote to all 217 municipalities to set up CIC by mid-May. 

According to Local Self-governance Act 1999, it is the duty of a municipality to open, operate and manage or cause to be opened, operated and managed, libraries and reading halls in the municipality area.

According to MoFALD Under-Secretary Sita Pariyar, municipalities need to keep reading materials related to Nepali literature, history, arts and culture and documents related to municipalities like acts, rules, directives, decisions, current programmes, development plans, among others. 

The CICs must also keep records of municipality’s revenue sources, transportation plans, auditing reports, tax rates, building construction guidelines and city profile among others.

MoFALD has asked municipalities to take support from District Development Committees, local business community, political leaders and non-government organisations for establishing the CICs. 

According to Kamal Gyawali, a section officer at MoFALD’s Information and E-governance Section, CICs will be developed to include separate libraries, information centres, and educational resources centres, among others. The centres are also expected to come in handy in times of disasters.