With the extended deadline to submit district reports on restructuring ending on Saturday, a majority of the District Technical Committees in Province 2 are yet to start preliminary discussion owing to non-cooperation by the Madhesi parties.

The Local Level Restructuring Commission on October 22 directed all the district committees to submit their reports by November 5. However, the technical 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 Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

According to Dormani Poudel, a member of the commission, only six districts have submitted their reports by Friday.

“We are not worried about other districts. Our main concern is Province 2,” he told the Post.

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.

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. However, the lack of progress in Province 2 is sure to delay the report.

Commission member Poudel said the government had assured them of the regional parties’ cooperation in the restructuring process once a constitution amendment bill is registered in Parliament.

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. In July, the LLRC had proposed a total of 565 local units.