Birendranagar Municipality Launches Digital Services, Including E-Building Permit System

Surkhet. Birendranagar Municipality, which is also the capital of Karnali Province, has brought an attractive slogan – now online, not in line.

This slogan is included in the policy and program for the upcoming fiscal year. As stated in the slogan, Birendranagar is entering the digital medium completely. In the first phase, the municipality has launched the Electronic Building Permit System (e-BPS). This means that anyone who needs to construct a house or building within Birendranagar, the capital, does not need to go to the municipality office for the permit process. Through this digital system, house construction maps will be passed and approved online.

“This system will end the compulsion of repeatedly visiting the municipality office,” said Mayor Mohan Maya Dhakal. She stated that this system has already been launched and will be fully implemented from Shrawan 1.

Dhakal said that the municipality is entering the digital system completely with the slogan “Innovation and Good Governance in Public Service Delivery.” She added, “The objective is an campaign to make public service delivery swift, easy, and transparent. Now, the city dwellers will be able to complete all processes from applying at home to receiving the final approval through the online system.”

This system has been introduced for the first time in Karnali Province. Similarly, the municipality has also brought the IMIS system into operation. This is the Integrated Municipality Information System. According to Dhakal, these two systems are expected to make the municipal administration technology-friendly, accountable, and transparent.

According to her, through the e-BPS system, application registration (online), map and necessary document upload, revenue and service fee payment, online tracking of application status, and final approval can be obtained. Dhakal states that this saves time, significantly reduces expenses on transportation, paperwork, and other costs, and minimizes unnecessary human intervention as the process is online.

Similarly, the map testing, evaluation, and approval process will be systematic and secure, and it has also created a citizen-friendly service spirit. According to Mayor Dhakal, with the use of technology, there has been a qualitative improvement in the municipality's service system. “The situation where service recipients have to repeatedly visit the municipality for simple tasks is ending,” she said. “Work is being prioritized on technology-based good governance with the goal of making it the best municipality in Western Nepal.”

From AI to GPS Tracking System in Public Transport

Birendranagar aims to make every sector digital and technology-friendly. The municipality has a strategy to use technology to the fullest in good governance, education, health, and infrastructure, and to move towards a “Smart City.” Under this, Birendranagar plans to make revenue and financial administration fully digital in the coming year.

“For revenue reform, the details of all taxpayers will be linked to the Geographic Information System mapping (digital system),” Mayor Dhakal shared the upcoming plan. “Through that system, taxpayer profiles will be created, and taxpayer records will be organized.”

She stated that emphasis will be placed on the use of modern technology and mechanization in the agriculture sector. For that, a policy of providing 50 percent subsidy has been adopted. Similarly, there is a plan to expand digital labs and modern treatment services in animal services, and services will be provided through a one-stop system for young people returning from foreign employment. According to her, employment opportunities will be created at the local level through the employment information center, and GPS tracking systems will be installed in public transport vehicles.

She said that tourism will be made fully digital. “Digital location mapping apps will be created for major tourist destinations in Birendranagar such as Kakrebihar, Bulbulé, and Shahid Park,” she added. “Digital information boards and brochures will be arranged at tourist destinations.”

The municipality has adopted a policy to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education. “Our preparation is to emphasize the use of information technology, research, and artificial intelligence in school education,” Dhakal says. “These are the tasks we will be doing in the coming year.”

According to her, if there is a shortage of teachers anywhere, a digital teacher bank will be developed to fill that gap. Furthermore, there are plans to promote STEM education and construct modern laboratories in secondary schools.

Dhakal is preparing to launch the Ama App for public health. The policy and program include the operation of the “Ama App, Parent App” for monitoring the health of pregnant women. Similarly, Birendranagar has adopted a policy to place digital complaint boxes in health institutions and to make the municipality completely transparent and paperless.

Similarly, Mayor Dhakal also stated that technology-friendly air quality measurement stations will be established at major intersections of Birendranagar city in the coming year. “For disaster risk reduction, a digital mapping of sensitive areas and an information system with GPS codes will be created,” she said. “A mobile app for online grievance management and an online system will be made effective. The municipality's tasks will be digitized.”

According to her, the plan is to now pay social security allowances entirely through bank accounts.