KATHMANDU, Nov 14: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI), Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) and Minister for Urban Development (MoUD) Kulman Ghising has declined to approve foreign visit plans of two joint secretaries from MoPIT and MoUD.
Joint Secretary Sushil Babu Dhakal of MoPIT and Joint Secretary Dilip Bhandari of MoUD were scheduled to travel to Italy for a week in the third week of November to participate in a disaster management program.
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The event was slated to begin on November 22 and conclude on November 29. Senior officials from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority were also set to participate in the program.
As the authority does not fall under the ministry led by Ghising, sources said that Minister Ghising rejected only the foreign travel plans of the officials from MoPIT and MoUD. As per the law, foreign trips of joint secretaries must be approved through a minister-level decision.
According to his secretariat, Ghising denied approval, saying that it was not necessary to travel abroad for minor events at a time when officials are required to work intensively.
“It is a time when we need to work day and night. He (the minister) questioned the need to travel abroad even for small programs and therefore rejected the foreign visit plans of the two joint secretaries,” an employee at the secretariat said.
