NIJGAD, SEP 04 -  

At a time when the absence of local government is slowing down rural development, political parties and local body staffs have stuffed up the development budget. The government has formed an all-party mechanism to run local bodies but the increasing involvement of political parties are muffing up things.

One case in Bara illustrates this trend where political parties in tandem with local body staffers including district development committees gobbled up over Rs 60 million in the development budget of 2009-10.

After local bodies were dissolved in 2002, there was no government mechanism at the local level to run development work. Last July, the government formed an all-party mechanism to mobilise local funds for development activities in districts and municipalities. The mechanism had a representation of all political parties in the Constituent Assembly (CA).

“With no public representatives at the local level, everyone from parties to the employees feel free to do whatever they like,” said Chhatthu Yadav, former chairman of Bara District Development Committee.

eaders of political parties and local body staffs drew money from the DDC account on the pretext of development works but ended up splicing the money. The DDC, with the consent of political parties, gave the nod to building seven roads and drinking water projects in straight violation of procedure. The DDC staff gave 20 percent of the total amount to political parties and gobbled up the rest. “Now, party leaders and staffers are at loggerheads over the amount distribution,” said an official of the DDC.

he political parties and staffs are at variance over the issue of budget and programme distribution. According to sources, ministers, lawmakers and leaders of political parties were among those who exerted pressure on the then LDO to provide the fund.

“The money was meant for development work, but it was not invested anywhere,” said Shital Gupta of the District Technical Office. “Had any work been done, they wouldn’t have chopped up the amount.”

According to an official of the planning department of Bara DDC, around Rs 60 million was distributed to political parties for 400 small programmes. Still, not even 10 percent of the work was carried out.

Local Development Officer Murari Nepal said

that he had to work in a way that every side was to

be content. “I’ve found that everyone is vying to get

the programme.”

And, there are other ways through which the state fund can be misused. The DDC, since last four year has been giving cash from Rs 25,000 to Rs 75000 to parties who have been members of the DDC board. This money is provided on a basis of a list of completed programmes furnished by concerned parties.

There is no mechanism to ascertain whether the programmes were completed in the first place. Over and above that, the parties also draw money from the DDC and VDC offices as donation on a regular basis. The report presented by Kachorwa VDC’s secretary Mahendra Patel shows a total of Rs 65,000 was given to various political parties in a single VDC  donation.

Thanks to increasing misuse of state funds, the Local Development Ministry has placed the Bara DDC on the blacklist and cut the budget meant for it. Such was embezzlement that that District Administration

Office (DAO) froze the DDC account at Rastriya Banijya Bank except one

that deals with employees’ salary. After the

accounts were frozen, the DDC tried to influence the DAO by presenting some cash, airconditioners and computer components. “It was so that the DAO doesn’t disturb,” said a DDC official. “But the deal was broken after DAO asked for more such gifts and the DDC’s accounts were frozen.”

Chief District Officer Shiva Prasad Nepal, however, claimed that all this stuff was taken from the DDC

as institutional support. Nepal said the DAO is

investigating financial irregularities at the behest of the DDC. “”There will be a thorough investigation of every complaint that the office has received so far,” vowed CDO Nepal.

Posted on: 2010-09-04 09:46

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