Instead of instigating a shake-up at this crucial time, they said, the government should be mobilising all available resources to provide relief to the earthquake victims.  

On Tuesday, the government had decided to transfer 30 CDOs, including Sambhu Prasad Marasini of Ramechhap. Marasini has been transferred to the Home Ministry.

The political parties in Ramechhap have claimed that Marasini had been doing a good job as the district chief. The works he did in the wake of the April 25 earthquake, the parties said, were praiseworthy.

“This is a condemnable act. Transferring a responsible officer when the government should be distributing the promised Rs 15,000 to people who lost their houses in the earthquake is a misfortune,” said Nepali Congress leader Laxman Prasad Ghimire.

Shanti Prasad Poudel, the district chairman of CPN-UML, said: “The transfer at a time when relief works are underway does not give a positive message. Marasini had been overseeing the relief works in the district and he knew what needed to be done and how. His replacement must start from the beginning and it is going to affect the relief works.”

Dhawa Lama, the district in-charge of UCPN (Maoist), claimed the relief works will be delayed by at least a month with Marasini’s departure.

Marasini also admitted that the transfer order came at an inopportune time and that the government should have waited for at least a couple of days.

“Personally, I think the decision was made in haste,” he said.

Relief distribution stalled

Along with the transfer of the CDO, the government-promised Rs 15,000 relief for victims has not been dispatched to the VDCs. Out of two municipalities and 45 VDCs in Ramechhap, only one municipality and 11 VDCs have received the relief amount so far.

Manthali Municipality and the VDCs of Gumdel, Rampur, Bhuji, Farpu, Kuvukasthali, Saipu, Makadum, Bijulikot, Khimti and Rasnalu have already received the

relief amount from the District Disaster Relief Committee.