KATHMANDU, Jan 22: Six joint secretaries of the Ministry of Urban Development have visited Japan at the same time in a program designated for engineers (similar to a section officer) or a sub-engineers (similar to a non-gazetted first class official). They left for Japan at 11AM on Sunday.

Two Deputy Directors General of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction are also in the team that left for Japan. The Deputy Director General of Department of Urban Development and Building Construction Machakaji Maharjan and Prakrin Tuladhar have visited Japan at the same time. 

Likewise, Kumar Ghimire, head of the Federal Secretariat Construction and Management Office under the Ministry of Urban Development, Kosh Nath Adhikari, head of the Central Level Project Implementation Unit and Dilip Bhandari, joint secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development, have gone on a visit to Japan. While selecting the names of the team members to visit Japan, Ramchandra Dangal, who is the head of the Building Technology Division of the Ministry of Urban Development, has also visited Japan this time. Now, he has been transferred from the capital to the Public Procurement Monitoring Office.

According to sources in the Ministry of Urban Development, the staff of the joint secretary level went to Japan to participate in the implementation level program related to the building code. They will stay in Japan for 15 days. In the same program last year, the ministry sent an engineer (section officer) to Japan without sending a joint secretary. Last year, the Ministry sent engineers including Pradeep Khanal, Ranjan Das, Madhav Katuwal and others to Japan.

"Employees from the implementation level should go to participate in this program. An engineer or a sub-engineer should have been selected for this, but the ministry sent an employee at a joint secretary level who had reached the policy-making level," said an undersecretary of the Ministry. "This is an injustice to the lower-level employees," undersecretary of the Ministry added. According to the ministry source, training related to building construction will be given in the program. This program is organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

When asked for a response from the spokesperson of the ministry, Binu Bajracharya said she did not have information about it. Technical staff from Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Bagmati Rural Municipality, Suryabinayak Municipality, Tokha Municipality, and Tarakeswar Municipality have also been invited to participate in the program. While Bagmati, Suryabinayak, Tokha, and Tarakeshwar municipalities have sent sub-engineers to Japan, Lalitpur Metropolitan City has dispatched an engineer.

 
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