Miscellaneous
LLRC to fix local units on its own if hurdle stays
The Local Level Restructuring Commission has said it will fix the number of local units from the centre in consultation with the district technical committees if the Madhes-based parties continue to disrupt discussions at the local level.Binod Ghimire
The Local Level Restructuring Commission has said it will fix the number of local units from the centre in consultation with the district technical committees if the Madhes-based parties continue to disrupt discussions at the local level.
Technical committees in the districts of Province 2 have not been able to hold preliminary discussions on restructuring of local bodies owing to non-cooperation from the Madhesi parties, which are the allies of the incumbent government.
The commission on October 22 directed all the district committees to submit their reports by November 5. However, the committees in Danusha, Siraha, Saptari and Sarlahi have failed to hold discussion with the stakeholders.
The number of local units has yet to be finalised in the remaining four districts—Bara, Parsa, Rautahat and Mahottari—of the province. Siraha is the constituency of PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
By Monday evening, only 40 districts have submitted their reports to the commission. “Most of the districts except in Province 2 have assured of report submission within a couple of days,” Madhav Adhikari, a member of the commission, told the Post. “We will determine the local units from here [Kathmandu] in consultation with the respective technical committees if the parties continue to obstruct the process.”
The Madhes-based parties that have lent their support to the ruling CPN (Maoist Centre)-Nepali Congress coalition have objected to the process arguing that it would be futile to determine the local units before resolving the issue of provincial boundaries. The LLRC says the regional parties have turned down its frequent requests for cooperation.
The commission expects the problem to be resolved once the government registers a constitution amendment proposal in Parliament. “We are committed to submitting the report to the government not later than the third week of November. So we can’t wait for the parties too long,” Adhikari said.
While revising the LLRC’s terms of reference for the second time, the government had asked the commission to submit its recommendations by mid-November.
The LLRC has decided to limit the number of local units (village and municipal councils) to 744 after revising the restructuring criteria. It has set the ceiling for each district, according to which the number of local units will range from 507 to 744.