KATHMANDU, June 29: Village Development Committee (VDC) secretaries in various districts have tendered their resignation owing to threats from armed underground outfits.
On Tuesday, all the secretaries in Bardiya district jointly tendered their resignation. Thirty-one VDC secretaries in the district submitted their resignation to Local Development Officer Bhuwan Hari Aryal. [break]
“We tendered our resignation as the government has failed to ensure security, and there is no work-friendly environment,” said a secretary on the condition of anonymity.
The secretaries said they have been receiving life threats from Joint Ethnic Liberation Front -- a little-known armed organization that has been recently spreading terror in the villages.
The underground outfit has written letters to all the VDC secretaries in Tanahun, Gorkha and Lamjung to immediately resign or face physical action.
Likewise, of the 19 VDC secretaries in Dolakha district, 19 have already resigned due to threats. VDC secretaries in Parvat too submitted their resignations on Tuesday. In Baglung, 55 working VDC secretaries resigned on Tuesday. The VDC secretaries in Myagdi had withdrawn their resignation on Monday.
Meanwhile, in Tanahun district, major political parties have urged the VDC secretaries not to resign as many development works are yet to be completed.