Madan Gupta, a local of Siraha Municipality, has been serving at the Lakshiminiya health post of Siraha district for the last 20 years—the longest period of his 30-year government service across districts.

“I’m nearing retirement and now they have transferred me to Bara district,” 57-year-old Gupta complained. “I lodged a complaint at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Central Administration but they did not pay heed to my genuine problems.”

Menuka Budathoki, an auxiliary nurse midwife, 47, serving at Budhanilkantha Municipality in Kathmandu has been transferred to Khanda Devi health post in Ramechhap district.

“I have always been based out of Thankot,” she complained. “I don’t know how I will adjust to the new place.”

Budathoki, who spent 24 years in government service, said that she is diabetic with thyroid problems and depends on her family to take care of her.

Like Gupta and Budhathoki, over 8,000 civil servants have lodged complaints against the federal government’s staff adjustment programme. Every day hundreds of civil servants, who are dissatisfied with the government’s decision to transfer them to the provincial and local levels, reach the ministry with their complaints.

Sakul Silwal, 54, a non-gazetted first class technical officer from Kathmandu who spent 30 years in government service, said he believes he is being transferred but has not received the transfer letter yet. According to him, over 600 non-gazetted first class technical officers over the age of 50, who served under the federal government’s agencies, have been transferred to the local level. “None of us has received the transfer letter and we have come to the ministry to request then to arrange for our transfers under the federal government,” said Silwal, who was in Singha Durbar on Monday.

Binu Shrestha, 51, a non-gazetted first class technical officer, and a local of Lalitpur, reached Singha Durbar, to complain about the unfairness of the transfer system. She said, “Those with political links and those affiliated to trade unions are not on the transfer list. It’s people like us with no connections that are being uprooted and transferred to remote villages.”

Bimal Koirala, former chief secretary, said that the Civil Servant Adjustment process is taking longer than expected since the federal government is acting like a unitary state. He said, “Even after the restructuring of state mechanism and formation of three tiers of government, the centre wants to centralise power.”

“Had the government allowed the provincial government and local level to appoint their own staff, these problems wouldn’t have arisen,” said Koirala. “Because of this, the provincial government and local level haven’t been able to work effectively due to a staff crunch.”

However, he also believes that civil servants should abide by the government's decision and agree to serve in the places they have been transferred to.

Jeev Lal Bhusal, spokesperson for the ministry, said his office was trying to address the problems of civil servants.

“We also do not want to create problems for the civil servants,” said Bhusal. “But it is not possible to keep all staff under the federal government.”

According to him, the adjustment process will be completed within a week.