Kathmandu, May 13 -- In Parliament last week, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli claimed that Kathmandu "now has become a dust-free city" and that no one uses masks these days.

His remarks-which starkly contrasts Kathmandu's reality-were met with widespread criticism on social media platforms, with people expressing disbelief over the fact that the prime minister did not have the slightest understanding of the city's pollution levels, and the problems the people are facing because of it.

"Our prime minister commutes only to VVIP areas such as Baluwatar and Singha Durbar, that too in a vehicle," said Milan Bagale, an architect and rural development planner, who lives in Raniban. "If he would commute like any other citizen, he would realise how...