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Patient MoLD biding time
- To run local bodies after govt formation
KATHMANDU, JUL 24 -
After the formation of a consensus or majority based government, the Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) will propose four alternatives to the political parties to form local bodies.
Authorities at MoLD say that local bodies such as district, municipalities and village development committee are in a sorry state of affairs since a long time and that immediate measures should be taken if the political parties are serious about the utilization of local budget, development, security of Village Development Committee Secretaries and stopping misuse of funds.
“VDC secretaries have said that they can’t work in local bodies if a political mechanism is not formed immediately,” said Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, Spokesperson at MOLD. “The four models are food for thought. Anyone can suggest other scientific models”.
The four models prepared by MoLD are: 1) immediate election of local bodies. 2) Formation of local bodies on the basis of results of constituent assembly in the past. 3) Administering oath of office to the present ad ad hoc political mechanisms and 4) Granting the authority of council to the present political mechanism.
According to Thapaliya, at present VDC secretaries or chief executives of municipality are running the local bodies in coordination with the political parties at the local level. “The existing mechanism is not effective because representatives
of political parties are neither accountable nor responsible
towards development projects or use of the funds.”
Thapaliya said the first alternative is the best one to increase the efficiency of local bodies but there is little chance of holding elections to the local bodies.
The second, third and fourth options are scientific. “If the present mechanism gets the authority of ‘council’, we can settle problems faced by local bodies. The council can take important decisions regarding policies and development projects, “ he said.
According to MoLD authorities, the budget allocated to local bodies is not giving the desired result because of the miserable condtion of local bodies. “It would be meaninless to release budget if a poltical mechanism is not formed,” said one official.
MoLD has also asked the home ministry to ensure the security of secretaries in Village Development Committees. The request comes in the wake of their en masse resignation in various districts.
Interim statute proviso says it all
Article 139: (1) election shall be held to set up local self-governance bodies on the basis of principles of decentralization and devolution of power by creating a congenial atmosphere for the exercise of the people’s sovereignty and thereby ensuring maximum people’s participation in the country’s governance. (2) The government of Nepal shall form district, municipal, and village level interim bodies with the participation and consensus of political parties active at the local level to operate until elections to local bodies are held.
Posted on: 2010-07-25 08:33
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