The VDC residents said the VDC secretaries are not available in the time of need as they are fewer in number and most of them have to look after more than one VDC offices. [break]
Dinesh Rai, a local of Jante VDC, said earlier service seekers faced problems because VDC secretaries remained absent, but now things have gotten worse with secretaries being assigned double duty.
Rai said that people have to wait for days on end for the secretaries to turn up resulting in waste of time, money and effort.
“Locals of Jante VDC have been facing hard times to get local services in time as the secretary at the VDC, Rajendra Parajuli, has also been assigned to Talimchha VDC,” according to Prem Bahadur Rai of Jante.
Similarly, locals of Sirise VDC are also facing problems because Ganga Prasad Pokharel, the secretary, has been entrusted with the administrative responsibility of Katari VDC too. According to Pokharel, he has been unable to provide services to the locals of Sirise VDC due to the high work pressure in Katari, which has been proposed as a municipality.
“The locals from far off wards situated in hilly areas of Sirise VDC have been affected the most. However, there is no problem with the locals of the wards adjoining Katari VDC,” Pokahrel said. He said he was under compulsion to look after the both the VDCs.
Rajendra Parajuli, secretary at Jante, said that secretaries usually have their hands full discharging their duties at just one VDC.
“It takes more than four days to visit VDCs in the hill areas due to adverse geography. We are really having a difficult time taking on double responsibility,” said Parajuli.
Secretaries generally provide official government services like recommendations for citizenship, preparing birth, death, marriage certificates, Collecting land revenue tax, among others.
Locals have to meet the secretaries personally for most of the services. According to planning officer at District Development Committee Bhola Guragai, 10 VDC secretaries have been assigned to two VDC offices each.
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