In Brief:

• Office set up in April 2019 to serve Dhankuta, Tehrathum, Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur
• Initially staffed with officers and assistants, but authority unclear
• Only one office assistant remains, furniture unused, building deteriorating
• Cabinet meetings promised but largely unfulfilled; only one held in March 2024
• Security detail withdrawn, leaving little more than a signboard

DHAKUTA, AUGUST 25 Seven years after the Koshi provincial government established a Chief Minister's contact office in Dhankuta as a symbol of decentralisation, the office has reportedly become virtually non-functional, with only an office assistant remaining and no regular public services being provided. The office was established in April 2019 by the then provincial government with the stated aim of providing services to residents of Dhankuta, Tehrathum, Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur. It was set up in the building that previously housed the Eastern Regional Administration Office. At the time of its establishment, the office had positions for an officer, a non-gazetted first-class officer, a computer operator and two office assistants. However, according to local sources, the office was never given clear authority to provide specific services. Instead, applications received there were forwarded to the provincial headquarters. As other staff were gradually removed, even the flow of applications eventually stopped, leaving only one office assistant at the premises. The office was inaugurated by then Chief Minister Sherdhan Rai, who said decentralisation of power was at the heart of federalism. Rai had also announced that a provincial Cabinet meeting would be held at the Dhankuta office once a month. That plan largely remained unfulfilled. Former Chief Minister Kedar Karki held a Cabinet meeting at the office on March 26, 2024, but other chief ministers, including Uddhav Thapa, Bhim Acharya and incumbent Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki, have reportedly not held Cabinet meetings there or visited the office. Former provincial assembly member Former provincial assembly member Kusum Shrestha said residents had been led to believe Dhankuta would benefit from decentralisation under federalism, but the office never delivered meaningful services. She noted that furniture and equipment are unused and parts of the building have deteriorated to the point of being difficult to enter. The office had also been guarded by five Nepal Police personnel for years, but the security detail was withdrawn a few months ago. A provincial government employee said the premises now effectively have little more than a signboard identifying them as the Chief Minister's contact office. Local Dhan Bahadur Khadka said Dhankuta, which historically served as an administrative centre in eastern Nepal, had seen its importance decline after the introduction of federalism. The report also notes that several government offices in Dhankuta are operating from rented private buildings despite the availability of government premises, raising questions about the use of the largely unused contact-office building.