DOLAKHA, Dec 19: Upon knowing that the District Police Office (DPO), Dolakha had charged inflated price for each meal, temporary police protested against the police leadership yesterday. During the protest, police charged batons injuring more than a dozen.
Temporary police force was deployed across the country during the House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly elections. “When we were recruited, it was agreed that a plate of meal would cost Rs. 60. However, they deducted Rs 95 for every meal we had. We suspected irregularity and have raised our voice,” Murari Sedai of temporary police said.
Shiva Gautam, another Myadi staff said a total of Rs 3,800 was deducted for food from the 20 days work during election. “We were utterly surprised to know that they had deducted food cost of 27 days instead of 20.” As the staff were deployed in villages before November 26, and had eaten at villages, they were unaware of the food costs that were incurred there.
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Rameshwor Karki, DSP and chief at the District Police Office said that they had not charged extra for the meals. “After the protest, I inquired with the court master and accountant and came to know that each meal had cost Rs. 70. However, it is not as they’ve claimed it,” Karki said adding that investigation was ongoing. At 70 rupees, only 2,800 were to be reduced from each Myadi’s paycheck.
Post elections, the District Police Office was called in to coordinate the 750 temporary police personnel during vote counting. Nawaraj Sapkota, court master at the DPO was providing meals for the temporary police from the police canteen. The Canteen Operation Committee allows police personnel to operate the canteen.
“For Rs. 60, we were supposed to be provided meals with vegetables. However, for 95 rupees, they provided us meal with Chayote (Iskus) gravy,” Sedai said adding that rather than providing security in elections, they were deployed to private residence of police chiefs in the district.
The police office provided two squares of meals to 750 Myadi staff. At 60 rupees per plate, it would cost 1.8 million rupees to the police. However, with the inflated price, there was a margin of a million rupees.
After the protest, an agreement has been reached between the Myadi police and Nepal Police where the latter will charge Rs. 65 instead of Rs. 70, Karki said.
