KATHMANDU, June 21: Disputes between the local units and the federal government have come to the fore after the federal government deputed employees from the center only to the local units located at easy access areas. Local units in remote areas of the country are reportedly without necessary manpower.
Lately, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), Birgunj Metropolitan City Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City, Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City, Birgunj Metropolitan City and Dhulikhel Municipality have asked the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) not to depute more officials since they already have enough employees.
Since these local units have enough manpower, some of them have even accused the federal government of interfering in their activities by “burdening them with unnecessary manpower.”
Recently, the Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City office issued a letter to the ministry and said that deputing officials to the sub-metropolitan city when it has enough manpower is against the Local Government Operation Act.
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KMC spokesman Gyanandra Karki said the KMC has asked the ministry not to deploy additional manpower to the office as the KMC already has enough employees.
“Many local units in remote areas still face serious manpower crunch. Instead of sending employees to those local units, the ministry is deputing employees only to the local units in easy access areas,” Karki said.
He also accused that the government is not working as per the necessity of the local units but rather working in the interest of the civil servants who do not want to work in remote places.
Secretary at the ministry Dinesh Thapaliya also admitted that some local units have started showing dissatisfaction after the ministry transferred employees to the local units in easy access areas.
He said the ministry is set to ask the local units to send details of their employees. “If the ministry has transferred more employees than needed to the local units then such unneeded employees will be transferred to the manpower-short local units elsewhere,” he added.