Baitadi, Feb 26
Baitadi, as other 34 districts, had elected a local government seven months ago. But the bitter reality is that the Baitadi folks who enthusiastically took part in the election held first time in 20 years with the hope of getting government services from nearby local levels are now disappointed.
People in the district that is part of Province 7 have been deprived of even receiving regular services from the local level. Most of the thematic offices of the district-level are yet to be established at the local level, putting the needy in difficulty.
Some of ward offices here have been placed at rented houses while the ward office of Patan Municipality-8 has been adjusted with the office of neighbour ward (9).
Not only ward offices, but also municipalities and rural municipalities here lack its own building. According to Officiating Administrative Officer Prithvi Raj Awasthi of Purchaudi Municipality, they are carrying out municipality works from the rented building. The municipality is search a piece of land to construct its own office building.
The Shibanath Rural Municipality in the southern part of the district is not the exception.
The oldest municipality in the district, Dashrathchand Municipality, has not all its thematic offices.
According to Municipality Mayor Gumani Dutta Panta, they have to limit the office just in papers while some employees are yet to reach their assigned stations. Employees and service seekers both are finding it very hard to deliver and receive services through congested structures.
The high sounding slogan of rights of ‘Singha Durbar to every villages’ chanted before and during the local level election is likely to go meaningless for the Baitadi folks.
There are four municipalities and six rural municipalities in the district and they are yet to get a clear way to implement new programmes and polices due to confusions regarding paper works and employees management.
Most of local levels have spent just 15 to 20 percent of the total budget in the first seven months of the current fiscal.
They have not been able to prepare a new draft of development plan as well.
One Dhanbir Dhami of Purchaudi Municipality-1 complained that the Purchaudi folks need to visit the district headquarters to take services which are supposed to be available at the local level after the local poll. Employees of thematic offices relating to education, health and livestock have not reached the local level.
Padam Bahadur Rokaya of Sigas Rural Municipality stressed that people’s compulsion to walk for hours to reach the center of Sigas Rural Municipality cant not be ignored.
The locals are yet to feel the presence of their government in the rural areas.
Chair of Sunarya Rural Municipality, Bir Bahadur Bista, admitted delay in addressing people’s needs from the local level as the local level are practicing federal structures for the first time in the country’ history.
