“Minister for Local Development Top Bahadur Rayamajhi on Tuesday took a decision to this effect in line with the CIAA directive,” said Dinesh Thapaliya, spokesperson at the ministry. Following the decision, bureaucrats and village development committee secretaries will run the local bodies until the parties agree on other alternatives. [break]
As per the decision, local development officer has been authorized to head the district development council while the chief executive officer of municipalities will head the district development board. Similarly, secretaries of village development committees will act as chairman of village development committees.
The constitutional anti-graft body had on December 24 asked the government to scrap the all-party mechanism. All-party mechanism has been running the local bodies in absence of elected officials at local bodies. There has been no election of local bodies since 2002.
The government has been allocating Rs 44 billion for local bodies. Around Rs 44.5 billion has been allocated for local development in the current fiscal year. Apart from government funds, 14 various foreign donors have been providing US$ 161.5 million in funds under the Local government and Community Development Program covering the period between 2008-2012.
While dissolving the local bodies, the ministry has also decided to hold discussions on holding the election of the local bodies and has floated different options to run the local bodies until elections are held.
The first option proposes formation of district development executive council comprising representatives from all-parties on the basis of their strength in the Constituent Assembly.
The second option relates to forming an all-party mechanism with no executive power to run the local bodies. Such all-party mechanism will be different from the dissolved ones as the latter enjoyed executive power. The third alternative is forming an all-party mechanism at local level under the leadership of a bureaucrat to run the local governments.
The last option proposes formation of a bureaucratic mechanism to oversee regular activities at the local level.
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