KATHMANDU, Jan 10: The 14th Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Municipal Council meeting, scheduled to begin today, has been postponed. According to a decision of the executive committee meeting, the 14th Municipal Council meeting of KMC was supposed to start from today. However, the meeting was postponed at the last moment.
As the meeting did not take place within the stipulated time, the 23rd executive committee meeting’s decision to submit a proposal to amend the 'Act on Perks and Benefits of People’s Representatives, 2079 BS,' has become uncertain.
Sources at the KMC said that due to the dissatisfaction of the people's representatives of Nepali Congress, which has a majority in the executive body, the meeting of the Municipal Council meeting that should have been held did not take place today.
After Mayor Balendra (Balen) Shah suspended three employees and formed an inquiry committee for committing irregularities, people's representatives close to the Nepali Congress were frustrated.
KMC's Municipal Council meeting called for June 14
Recently, three employees of the metropolis were suspended for irregularities in the verification and implementation of the executive committee's decision. Among the employees to be suspended are Mayor Balen Shah’s secretariat member Nurnidhi Neupane, Health Department Chief Ram Prasad Paudel and Senior Branch Officer Bhagwati Bidari
After finding irregularities, the metropolis barred the chief administrative officer Basanta Adhikari from entering the office, while a committee was formed under the chairmanship of Sumanraj Bhandari, the vice chairman of the planning commission of the metropolis, to conduct investigation into the three employees who have been suspended.
It is not yet certain when the report of the inquiry committee will come. On the other hand, the people's representatives close to the Nepali Congress have begun boycotting meetings and obstructing with the aim of internally pressuring the metropolis to lift their suspension.
Under the leadership of Nabin Raj Manandhar, spokesperson for the metropolis and chairman of Ward No 17, KMC sources have said that the strategy of inciting other people's representatives and boycotting the meeting has also been carried out.
The Nepali Congress enjoys a majority in the 13-member budget drafting committee, chaired by Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol. The committee consists of eight Nepali Congress members, 1 CPN (Unified Socialist) party member, and the rest from the CPN-UML.
Although Deputy Mayor Dangol held two meetings of the committee, in one meeting the chairman of Ward No 11 Hira Lal Tandukar was present, but in the other meeting no one from the Nepali Congress attended.
Out of the 32 seats of ward chairpersons, Nepali Congress won 19, UML 12 and CPN (Unified Socialist) won 1 seat. After the death of Ward-16 chairman Mukunda Rijal, now there are 18 ward chairman of Nepali Congress. Since there is a majority of the Nepali Congress even in the executive committee, no decision can be passed without the participation of the majority i.e., Nepali Congress representatives, in the decision-making process.
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