Kathmandu: Nepal Army headquarters has a tall (taller than any of the buildings within the military compound) structure a few meters away.
There is another high rise structure to the south of Singha Durbar, the secretariat of the government of Nepal which houses key offices such as ministry of home affairs and ministry of defense, which runs a posh hotel in Kathmandu.
To the south of Nepal Police Headquarters too, there are two high-rise star hotels. “Look at that building. Somebody from one of the high windows of that hotel could be monitoring what is happening here including our meetings and the people we meet,”a senior police officer said, pointing to the hotel building from Nepal Police Headquarters.
There are high rises around Sital Niwas–the office of the president, the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar, Vice President’s Residence in Lainchaur, in front of the headquarters of the National Investigation Department and so on.
High-rises often come to symbolize wealth and power in developing countries like Nepal, but security experts say, such high-rises, if they are around the vital security installations or the chief secretariat of the country, should be taken as a real cause of concern. For them, this represents the case of utter negligence by the government authorities toward security sensitivity of the country.
Nowhere in the world does a country allow high-rises around key security installations, the arms of the nation that are supposed to defend the country in case of some external or internal security threats.
“What if in case of eventuality, some attacks take place from the high rises around military headquarters. Our military forces might be overwhelmed even before it comes to know about the attacks,” a retired major General of Nepal Army said.
“I wonder how the authorities failed to see the security implications of these high-rise buildings.”
Two of the high-rises housing five star hotels in Kathmandu which are close to Singha Durbar and Nepal Police Headquarters–Basera and Hilton–are found not to have taken house design maps approved by the Municipality, reported Ukera recently. In Nepal, it is mandatory by law to get the house design map approved before you start the construction, whether it is a residential or commercial building.
How actually do the high-rises around the security installations pose a threat to national security and what can be done about it? The DMN News asked Narayan Adhikari, who is a researcher on national security and terrorism.
‘Nepal should not allow high rises around the security installations’
High-rise buildings provide an advantage for potential attackers to observe security measures, internal movements monitoring and plan intrusions. High-rises near critical infrastructure could be used as access routes for attackers. Rooftops could be used for staging points and could become potential targets for terrorist attacks. Surveillance equipment and weapons could be hidden within a high-rise building and could be used to monitor the activities and movements. High-rises can interfere with communication signals used by VVIP and security personnel. They may obstruct security measures such as CCTV cameras, barriers, and patrols, reducing their effectiveness in detecting and preventing security threats. Damage to a high-rise building by earthquake, fire, explosion or by construction failure could cause cascading failures to nearby critical infrastructure.
Countries do not allow high rises close to the security installations. In the US, construction near security installations and government buildings should abide by the guidelines outlined by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). First, high-rises are not allowed and even if they are allowed, security assessments are conducted to evaluate the risks posed by high rises around security installations and VVIP installations.
In India, generally, the construction of high-rise buildings is prohibited or heavily regulated, with limitations on height, building materials, and activities allowed within the zone. Even if such buildings are allowed, security clearance for buildings have to be provided by the relevant authorities before constructing high rises near security installations or government buildings.
Government has not recognized the growing threat posed by high-rise buildings around key installation sites.
Not only high rises but also the petrol pumps around the security installations pose a threat. Placing petrol pumps within security premises increases the risk of accidental fires or explosions, which could pose significant threats to personnel, and infrastructure. Petrol pumps attract large numbers of vehicles and individuals, creating congestion and potential security vulnerabilities within the premises. The presence of a petrol pump could facilitate unauthorized access, increase the risk of vehicle-borne attacks, or provide cover for malicious activities.
Nepal should not allow such high rises around the security installations. There should be proper collaborative planning between urban planning departments, security agencies and local authorities. We need to take proactive security measures by conducting risk assessments and fostering partnerships to mitigate the risks associated with high-rise buildings near security installations. There should be security auditing specially on VIP and we also need to form Vital Installation Security Protocol (VISP). In Nepal, vital installation security is currently only in the initial stages of security management. There is no security or threat assessment for any vital installations. Additionally, the government has not recognized the growing threat posed by high-rise buildings around key installation sites.
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