Kavre, September 2

Participants at a seminar organised in Dhulikhel, Kavre, today said that uncertainty was looming large over implementation of federalism in the country.

Speakers at a six-day seminar on Nepal’s Policy Regime and Priorities in the Context of Federalism organised jointly by Kathmandu University and Sarbangin Bikash Adhyayan Kendra with the assistance of the Embassy of the US expressed their concerns about federalism becoming more and more complicated. However, they opined that it had taken more than two decades for the USA, a developed country, to implement federalism. Hence, it was too early to make negative comments.

One of the participants said that though the federal government directed the local levels to adjust civil servants as per the new federal set up, many staffers were not abiding by the directive.

Some of the participants complained of lack of proper coordination between people’s representatives and the bureaucracy. “People have started feeling some sort of autocracy rising in the country due to lack of effective coordination between them. It has also resulted in the problem of staff adjustment due to political influence in the bureaucracy,” they argued.

Speaking at the seminar, former minister Ganesh Sah said that natural resources were very exploited at the local levels in the name of tax and other pretexts. “Local representatives have to be more serious about these things,” he said.

Kathmandu University Vice-chancellor Prof Ramkanda Makaju said there should not be any kind of confusion regarding rules and regulations in implementing federalism. “It is natural that the practice of federalism is complicated. Hence, we should follow rules and regulations by exercising restraint,” he said.

Former chief secretary Bishwodev Panta argued that nobody in the country was an expert in federalism.

As many as 26 papers on opportunities and challenges of federalism will be presented in the six-day seminar. Joint-secretaries and under-secretaries serving at the local levels, officials serving at federal ministries, officials at Kathmandu University and students of law are participating the seminar.