Nirjana Sharma
Nirav KC recently bought an apartment, almost a decade after Sabita Dhital purchased a colony house in the Capital.

Sabita had settled in the colony built under the government’s first housing project. She was among a few persons,  that time, who made housing colony their home. However, time has dramatically changed now. By the time KC resettled in his apartment, more than 150 private housing companies had emerged within one decade.

The housing and apartment fad is growing. According to a conservative estimate, around Rs 85 billion has already been invested in the real state sector across the country.

KC, who originally hails from Morang, belongs to a middle class family. Buying land and building a house at the young age of 35 is not an easy pie. Today, he boasts of comfort living in an apartment.

“We are living a disciplined life here. In Morang, we had a one storey house. My father along with neighbours often had to complain the municipality office about different problems. But, here, I live on the sixth flour of the multi-storey building and use a elevator every day to reach my flat,” says KC. “Things are well organised in my apartment, which gives me extra comfort.”

Another resident of Dhapasi-based apartment Saru Shrestha buys KC’s argument. The housing companies are providing facilities such as telephone, drinking water, security and many others, Shrestha says. She feels more secured today as she need not have to waste time building a house and managing logistics.

“Garden, fitness centres, ATM service, swimming pool, security...... These facilities are attracting more people and the demand of apartments is on the rise,” says Shrestha.

It’s not the multi-storey buildings or the housing apartment fad alone, the mall shopping culture too is rising in Kathmandu Valley.

Garima Basnet (25) of Koteshor still has a vivid memory of her childhood when her parents used to take her to Bishal Bazaar, the oldest mall in the Capital. “We used to go there whenever I wanted to enjoy a lift ride. My parents did not used to shop in Bishal Bazaar that time,” she says.

But time has changed now. Garima, a teacher by profession, now often goes to department stores and malls for shopping. Meant only for the higher class people a few years ago, shopping malls these days offer reasonable price for the middle class people as well, she says.

There are around a dozen malls in Valley—Kathmandu, Civil, World Trade Centre, Kantipur, Star, Pashupati plaza, People’s plaza, City Centre and RB Complex to name a few. Three others are under construction.

According to Manager of Kathmandu Mall Keshav Prasad Sapkota, around 10,000 people visit Kathmandu Mall in a months. The average sales stand around Rs. 2 million, he says.

Similarly, there are around 60 department stores, including Big Mart, Bhat Bhateni, Namaste and Gemini. Manager of Big Mart Antim Ranjit says business is growing as an average number of 2,500-3,000 people visit the mart for shopping.

The culture of living in apartments and shopping in malls and department stores is because of people’s changing lifestyle as a result of an increase in their per capita income, says Under Secretary of National Planning commission Sagar Acharya. In fiscal year 2000/01, the per capita income of a Nepali was only $259, but it doubled to $568 in 2009-10.

source:Sharma, Nirjana(2011),"Apartment, mall culture growing", The Kathmandu Post, 22 April 2011, page. 2