Houses in the New Road area of Kathmandu bear a uniform look these days.
From the Juddha Statue to Indra Chowk, the walls of houses on either side of the road along Shukra Path have been painted white, while their windows have been painted green.
Many are curious about why the houses in New Road have been painted this way.
After the footpaths in the area were widened and the overhead electric cables were removed, he wanted to restore the look of houses built during the time of Juddha Shumsher Rana, says Binod Kumar Rajbhandari, the chairman of ward no. 24 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.
"During Juddha Shumsher's time, the walls of houses were painted white, and the windows were painted green. I wondered whether we could bring back that look now," he said. "But one day I proposed in the ward office if it was possible to return to the old style. Everyone agreed."
According to Rajbhandari, while growing up in New Road he had seen houses painted white that were built during Juddha Shumsher's time.
After everyone in the ward agreed, he called the homeowners and business people in the area and floated his proposal to them. They also readily accepted it, he said.
On the initiative of the ward office, the homeowners painted their houses white on their own expenses. Bishal Bazaar has also been painted white. Painting all the houses in the area is estimated to cost Rs 3-4 million.
Then then prime minister Juddha Shumsher Rana built this road after the 1934 earthquake. That is why it is also called Juddha Sadak. He had the houses on either side of the road painted white at the time. The ward office is now trying to bring back the same look.
"This work has been done to beautify New Road, and it will also help promote business in one way or another," he said.
