Admin and all-party mechanism up in arms in civic body

Rift between KMC administration and all-party mechanism bars fiscal budget

Bishnu Prasad Aryal
Kathmandu, November 18

The rift between the all-party mechanism and administration in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City has prevented the annual budget and programmes form being approved. The annual budget and programmes should have been approved before mid-July for the current fiscal year.

"We have already prepared the final draft of the budget and fiscal programmes," said Niranjan Baral, executive chief of the KMC. The members of the all-party mechanism are focused on their own area and vote influence rather than giving priority to the important programmes, said administrative staffs at the KMC.

According to the KMC, the total estimated budget of the last fiscal was Rs 1.87 billion. "The size of the annual budget revolves around the amount of last year," said Baral. "However, it has been late to initiate the development projects to complete by the end of this fiscal," he added.

The budget has included the construction of Manohara road but all-party mechanism objected unnecessarily, according to KMC administration. "I don't have any self-interest in any programme. I am serious only about the people's problems," he said.

Baral, who is the government secretary in ranks, is getting retirement after about two months. I never think to spoil my career earned in my life working as a civil servant in these last two months, he said. "This country will not see a better future if such kind of tendencies prevails in the society and nation," he reasoned.

KATHMANDU: Although the Ministry of Local Development directed local bodies about five months ago to form all-party mechanism based on the result of Constituent Assembly election, there is still six-party mechanism functioning in Kathmandu Metropolitan City. According to the Election Commission report, there are 18 political parties in the KMC. "We six-party mechanism is working here without any dispute since Janamorcha Nepal merged to UCPN Maoist," said Sarbottam Dangol, member of the mechanism. As per the Comprehensive Peace Accord, it was provisioned to form an all-party mechanism of seven major parties to run the local bodies in absence of elected representatives. --

Dhyan Govind Ranjit, who is coordinator of the all-party mechanism and Constituent Assembly member, is allegedly said to oppose against Manohara road project.

Sarbottam Dangol, member of the all-party mechanism, expressed ignorance about it. "Ranjit is in London now to visit his son and will not return immediately," said Danglol. Ranjit left for London on Sunday. "Absence of coordinator has certainly affected the process," he added.

Dangol, however, criticised the administration for being inefficient to make budget in time. "Administration is fully responsible to this delay," he said. "The budget committee was formed only a week ago while it should have been formed before end of the last fiscal and annual budget ought to have been approved then," he blamed.

This time, the budget is estimated at Rs 1.83 billion while annual income of the KMC is about 1 billion, said Dangol. "We have insisted on limiting it to some Rs 1.7 billion," he said. "Some portion of amount is spent on banquet for foreigners in five-star hotels as there is no provision of such allocation," he alleged.

State Minister for Local Development Ganesh Bahadur Khadka said there was serious problem in the local bodies regarding the council meeting and budget allocation. "Everything went wrong due to the absence of elected representatives in the local bodies," he added. "There should not be any dispute regarding the development for local people."

Minister Khadka told this daily that ministry was planning to assign a government joint-secretary in the KMC for better administration.