Employees fail to get salary for months as govt remains in dilemma whether to dissolve Melamchi Water Development Committee

KATHMANDU, Dec 6: The government decided to dissolve the Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee in the budget statement for the current fiscal year 2022/23. Even after six months of making such a decision, the employees have not been able to get their regular salary since July because the dissolution process has not been carried out.

Point number 177 of the budget statement for the current year states that the Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Fund Development Committee will be dissolved. In the budget statement, it has been stated that the work carried out by these committees will be arranged under the Water and Sewerage Management Department.

As mentioned in the budget statement, confusion has been created while proceeding with the work. Senior Divisional Engineer of Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee Rajendra Prasad Pant said that it is also difficult to run the regular salary facilities and administrative work of the employees due to failure to expedite the necessary procedures according to the budget statement.

“In the budget statement, it is mentioned that the committee will be abolished, but so far neither the abolition process nor the process of revival has progressed. The employees working there have not even been able to get their salary as a result of this delay,” he said. “This is because the cabinet meeting did not take the necessary decision.”

Chairman of the Melamchi Water Supply Development Committee Staff Union Rishiram Paudel said that the government's decision to abolish the committee has created problems for the entire staff. “The Melamchi water supply project has not been completed yet. It is foolish to abolish the committee when efforts are being made to bring Melamchi water temporarily,” he said.

Paudel, the president of the union, said that the dissolution of the committee was not justified even though the government had put forward a plan to bring 340 million liters of water from Yangri and Larke through the Melamchi tunnel. The staff of the committee have not been paid since September.

Executive Director of the Committee Kamal Raj Shrestha had provided salaries to the employees during Dashain. But since September, the employees have not received their salaries again. Previously, there were 68 posts in the committee. Among them, 15 are permanent, 30 are contractual and other civil service employees. The maintenance work of the Melamchi Water Supply Project was completed on November 14.

Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Umakant Chaudhary, while monitoring the project last Sunday, announced that Melamchi water will be distributed in the valley from December 11. By constructing a temporary structure, the water from Melamchi river is being filled in the tunnel again from November 28. According to the Committee, cleaning work is being carried out now at Melamchi's water treatment plant in Sundarijal. The tunnel will be filled in the next few days.