Rastra Bank has started a study in Saipal, which does not have a bank

A team including deputy director Tikaram Timilsina, joint director Uttam Gouni, deputy general manager of Everest Bank Ashutosh Sharma and head of Everest Bank's Bajhang branch Kumar Thing, led by Rashtra Bank director Satyendra Timilsina, reached Kendra Kanda of Saipal Rural Municipality to conduct an on-site study on whether or not to establish a bank.

The study team reached Kanda after walking for two days and discussed with the local people and public representatives about the location of the bank establishment, roads, security and investment possibilities. How much is the business after the establishment of the bank? How to manage employees? They have discussed issues such as how to transport the money," said Narendra Bohra, spokesperson of the rural municipality, "They have also looked at a possible house that can house the bank office." He said that the team did not say anything about establishing a bank or not.

Rastra Bank appointed Everest Bank to provide banking services in Saipal Rural Municipality in 2074. Saipal Rural Municipality is without banking facilities because Everest has been trying to establish a bank saying that they cannot establish a branch there until the infrastructure such as road, communication, security etc. is available at the local level. Ashutosh Sharma, member of the team and deputy general manager of Everest Bank, says that the same cannot be said about whether or not the bank will be established. "We have gone to understand how we can provide services," said Sharma, "We have walked for two days, it is very difficult. We discuss with the local level and the National Bank which modality can be adopted. Nothing can be said about whether or not the bank will be established. Timilsina, director of Rashtra Bank, who led the

study team, said that it will be done so that the locals of Saipal get banking services in one way or another. He said, "Although it is difficult, the local level should not be without a bank. Rashtra Bank believes that people of Saipal should get banking services in some form. We are discussing what the alternative can be.

People's representatives of Saipal rural municipality have said that they are ready to provide all possible support if the bank is established.

Let us operate a bank for them in the municipality. For that, we have said that we are ready to help in whatever way the municipality has to," Manveer Bohra, chairman of the rural municipality, said, "We have suffered a lot. If it is difficult to maintain employees, the municipality is ready to pay salaries. We have said that we will do it even if we have to charter a helicopter to transport the money.'

The misery of not having a bank

Since there is no bank in the municipality, the office of Saipal Rural Municipality has been running for seven years by renting a house in the district headquarters, Chainpur. Locals have to walk two to four days to reach the headquarters even for general recommendations from planning agreements. Officials of the consumer committee say that when they come to the headquarters to negotiate and withdraw money, the officials of the consumer committee take the expenses of food, transportation and accommodation from the funds of the scheme, so the amount of the scheme to be made here is also spent half of the way. Bhana Bohra, Treasurer of Kankarkot Drinking Water Project Consumer Committee, said, "We had to reach Chainpur four times after leaving the baby to eat milk." Half of the amount is spent on food, accommodation and car rental. It takes three to four days to reach the headquarters from Dhuli, Balaudi and other villages in Saipal, so the expenses of the consumer committee here are more than this.

Since there is no bank in the municipality, it became difficult to carry out daily business, so the contact office of the rural municipality was placed in Chainpur. It takes at least 6 to 12 days each time to visit the officials of the consumer committee to negotiate the scheme, open the account, deposit the amount in the committee's account. As there is no bank in the municipality, on the one hand, there is the harassment of the consumers to walk, while the other problem is the cost. Deepak Bohra, a local, said that since a large part of the money for the construction of the plan is spent on transportation and eating, it affects the quality of the construction. 10-15 percent of the scheme is spent on food, lodging and transportation when opening an account, depositing and withdrawing funds. He said that such expenses incurred in all the schemes across the municipality are covered from the funds of the scheme itself, he said, ``If that is done, it will not work as expected.''

The then Local Level Complete Structure Commission merged Kanda Village of Savik into Talkot Rural Municipality. At that time, the locals had to fight for a long time, demanding that Kanda should be a separate rural municipality, saying that it would be uncomfortable to walk to Talkot for three days. Since the public representative and the staff also live in the liaison office, the locals have to spend 10/12 thousand to meet the public representative and get free recommendations.