BHOJPUR, Oct 2: The last local elections were held with the slogan 'Gaun Gaun ma Singha Durbar', meaning every village would have executive power in its own area under the new federal structure. One year on, the slogan seem nothing more than a hollow promise as local units are still without means to exercise their rights.

The local units are struggling to operate due to lack of sufficient human resource. Although local representatives are elected, their offices do not have enough employees to carry out day-to-day works smoothly. The people who were expecting a sea change with the election of their representatives are now left dismayed.

Some of the local units in Bhojpur district have employees only for opening and closing the offices. They do not have required manpower to carry out daily operations.

None of the nine local units of Bhojpur have employees as per their quota. While there is a need of 367 employees in the district, the total numbers of employees currently at the local units stand at just 116.

For instance, Salpasilocho Rural Municipality has a quota of 29 employees for its ward offices and head office. However, the office is forced manage all the works with just seven employees at the moment. Especially, ward offices of the local units have been hit the hardest. Rather than benefiting from the federal model, the residents are facing much more problems instead.

Lack of sufficient employees has affected developmental works and other activities. “We have not been able to allocate budget for salary of teachers and other employees at a time when our major festival Dashain is just around the corner,” said Ishwar Prsad Bhatta, information and communication officer of Salpasilocho.

According to him, the limited number of employees are having hard time coping with the work pressure while fulfilling their duties at the local unit. “It's a total mess. There is neither salary for employees nor have we been able to carry out any work.”

 
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