The Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s decision to provide a mobile phone to each of the elected ward representatives, including mayor and deputy mayor, has raised a huge public outcry. 

A joint executive committee meeting of the newly-elected representatives of the metropolis had announced on Tuesday that the KMC would allocated Rs 3.5 million, under their salary title, to buy the phones. 

According to the metropolis’ decision, each ward representative can purchase a cell phone of their choice with cost up to Rs 30,000. The metropolis has a total of 40 elected members in the body—32 ward chairpersons. The representatives can get money after submitting a purchasing bill. And the KMC’s decision quickly lit up a firestorm on social media. 

“Poor citizens of Kathmandu, who voted to elect such candidates who don’t even own a mobile phone,” Madhu Bilas Pandit wrote on his Facebook page.

Mahesh (Idea Master) saying on his twitter, “I suggest mayor sir to buy iPhone, King’s Button for himself and deputy mayor iPhone Princess Plus.” But KMC Spokesperson Gyanendra Karki defended the decision, saying that the KMC decided to release funds to the elected representatives’ realising their needs to communicate. 

“This is not a bad decision,” argued Karki. “Doesn’t the government provide a vehicle for its secretaries although they possesses their own vehicles?” The KMC meeting also decided to provide the executive members Rs 2,500 in monthly allowances. 

Besides, the mayor and the deputy mayor will get an allowance of Rs1,500 for attending each executive meeting, while other members will receive Rs 1,000 each. They will also be provided with Rs1,000 as conveyance allowance on the day of the meeting.