TIKAPUR, Sept 5: Candidates vying for various posts in the local elections of Kailali district had made various promises in order to woo the voters. Each candidate presented their promises in their own way. While some talked about 'bringing Singha Durbar to the local community', others pledged to bring rights of central government to the local level. 

No matter how they presented their ideas, their main ideology was the same - to delegate the rights of governance at the local level. However, locals of the district have not seen the promises being fulfilled. One glaring example can be observed in the pathetic security situation of Janaki Rural Municipality.

The rural municipality has only one police post. Under the command of an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI), the post has a total quota of 10 police personnel. But currently, there are only eight of them on duty. 

Each member of the law enforcement agency has to provide security to 6,067 individuals. Such condition, probably, does not exist elsewhere in the country with an average police to public ratio of 1:395.

According to Khagendra Bhandari, chairman of ward-9, the number of security personnel is shamefully low. “How can somebody expect eight police personnel to provide security to the whole rural municipality? The security situation is pathetic,” he said.

Not a single vehicle has been provided to the police post. If they have to go somewhere, they have a big problem of transportation. On one hand, police are less in number, while on the other hand their mobility is severely limited due to lack of transportation medium at their disposal. 

Unable to get anything from the government, the police personnel have managed bicycles and motorcycle through their own initiative. That is the only factor aiding them to reach the incident sites on time.

“If we don't reach the incident site on time, there would be more problems. And reaching the incident sites on time is one of the biggest challenges we face,” said a police personnel requesting anonymity.

Police personnel used to live in makeshift tents there before the construction of the police post building. Seeing their plights, the locals had constructed a permanent building with three rooms.
The police post built in the then Patharaiya Village Development Committee now looks after the entire rural municipality after the merger of several VDCs in the new federal set-up.

Other VDCs like Janaki Nagar, Munuwa and Durgeli, which have now been merged with Janaki Rural Municipality, still don't have a separate police unit for their security and have to rely upon the same post. 

The situation was expected to change after the local elections, but things are still the same. The far-off Area Police Office, Tikapur, is still responsible for the overall security of those settlements.
Pradeep Chaudhary, chairman of the rural municipality, said they are planning to pass decision regarding the formation of police circle to strengthen security presence in the municipality.

 
• one police
 
• security
 
• 6
 
• 067 individuals
 
• kailali's rural municipality