Kathmandu, 22 June: The local governments are required to present their policy and programme, as well as the budget estimates for the next fiscal year by coming June 25. However, the Beni municipality is yet to start working for it, due to the differences among the mayor and executive members.
The mayor and the executive members, coming from different political parties, are at loggerheads since mid-May when the executive members decided on a basis of majority to make some appointments.
The issue then went to the court, with the mayor filing a writ against the decision. The High Court Pokhara has stayed the decision. Elected representing the Nepali Congress, Mayor Hari Kumar Shrestha has accused the executive members including the ward chair of adopting prejudiced and discriminatory ways to select and implement projects, and take decision.
The majority of the executive members represent the ruling Nepal Communist Party. However, spokesperson of the Executive Ram Krishna Baraili said a decision had to be taken on the basis of a majority since the mayor left the meeting in the middle.
‘We should presently be holding meetings and deliberations to finalize the budget, as well as the policy and programme, but nothing has been done so far in the past one month,’ Deputy Mayor Sanju Baruwal said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Administrative Officer Hari Prasad Sharma has said that the daily functioning of the municipality would be affected if the policy and programme and the budget are not endorsed within the deadline. It will also lead to deduction of grants to be provided by the federal government. (RSS)
