DHANKUTA, FEBRUARY 11

It has already been five years since the local levels were formed. However, out of seven local levels, two are still delivering their services from rented houses in Dhankuta.

Sahidbhumi and Chhathar Jorpati rural municipalities are rendering their services from congested rented space for lack of their own buildings. 'The services related to health, education, livestock, agriculture, and infrastructure are being provided from congested space,' said Chhathar Rural Municipality chair Sher Bahadur Limbu.

Chhathar Jorpati Rural Municipality has been rendering its services from the rented house located at Jorpati bazaar for the past five years. The local level pays a monthly rent of Rs 25,000 for the house.

Staffers at the rural municipality said they were having a hard time providing services from the congested rented house.

'Since the rented house was initially built for residential purpose, we are facing difficulty providing services,' said one staffer.

Likewise, Sahidbhumi Rural Municipality has been providing its services from the rented house for the past five years. 'The local level has rented two houses at Piple,' said the rural municipality chair Manoj Rai. One house is provided to the local level for free of cost while the rural municipality has to pay Rs 18,000 per month for another house.

Staffers of the rural municipality said they were facing difficulty conducting meetings for lack of space and large rooms. Dhankuta, Pakhribash, and Mahalaxmi municipalities, and Sanguri and Chaubishe rural municipalities have been rendering their services from newly-constructed buildings.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 12, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.