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NHRC ANOMALIES: Panel for internal solution
KATHMANDU, APR 03 -
The Parliamentary Committee on International Relations on Human Rights has given the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) a chance to sort out its problems through internal discussions. Though the Committee has not given any time limit, it said it would intervene if NHRC failed to show any progress “immediately”.
The Committee issued the directives after discussions with NHRC members on Friday. “We have given a chance to NHRC members to sort out the problems on their own. If they fail to do so, we will intervene,” said Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee Padam Lal B.K. “We have also asked the NHRC to inform the progress at the earliest.”
The national human rights watchdog is facing problems due to increasing differences among its five board members. Two of the members – KB Rokaya and Lila Pathak – have not attended any of the Commission's board meetings for the last three and a half months demanding discussion on a number of “irregularities” and “mismanagements” in NHRC.
On March 28, Rokaya and Pathak had formally appealed to the House Committee to intervene to sort out a dozen of anomalies in the NHRC. They sought discussions on lack of financial and management transparency in donor-funded projects under the Commission, including the US$2m UN-funded project, weak management and leadership, illegal, unilateral and unconstitutional decisions taken by the board in the absence of the duo, irregularities on vehicle purchase and their abuses.
During Friday's meeting, it was also established that the Parliamentary Committee had the jurisdiction to grill NHRC whenever it deems necessary. There were differences among the NHRC and the Parliamentary Committee on each other's jurisdictions. “All the NHRC members realised that the House Committee can inquire NHRC on any of its internal issues,” said K.B. Rokaya.
Posted on: 2010-04-04 07:57
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