KATHMANDU: About 50 per cent of the budget allocated for the garbage management and environment sectors in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is not spent transparently, officials charged. Rs 340 million, which accounts nearly 40 per cent of the KMC budget, was allocated to the Environment Management Division (EMD) under the civic body in the fiscal year two years ago, according to the KMC. Similarly, Rs 310 million was allocated in the last fiscal. Among the amount, some Rs 130 million was spent for the salaries of 1,300 EMD staff. Nearly 50 per cent is misused by the heads of different sections neglecting the principle of transparency, said account officer Nava Raj Dhakal at the Revenue Division, KMC. “Although the documents are prepared showing expenditures under various titles, the forgery might be rampant behind the scenes,” Dhakal added. Dr Sumitra Amatya, general manager at the Solid Waste Management and Resource Mobilisation Centre under the Ministry of Local Development, conceded there was no transparency at her office nor in the EMD. Buddha Ratna Manandhar, chief at the Budget and Account Division, said that some Rs 200 million was used for salaries, fuel, vehicles, environment, greenery, landfill site maintenance, community expenses, park construction and conservation, training and seminars. “We provide the big sum of amount on the basis of proposal and breakdown details by approving phase-wise from the KMC board,” said Manandhar. “However, the authority to distribute a small amount of budget up to Rs 35,000 is given to division heads. Besides, a small portion of amount is given to some local clubs without any records,” he said. Dhakal suspected that there would be some “nexus” for commission between the KMC officials and local residents. “Once, it provided Rs 1 million to a club,” he claimed, declining to divulge further. According to the KMC, it issues total allocated budget to the EMD and but does not keep detail breakdown records of the supporting documents. “We send auditors to audit them but don’t question on their documents,” said Manandhar. “In this sense also, there is no transparency,” he admitted. Manandhar said that there was no mandatory of bills and vouchers for the assistance and aids given to any parties. “But this amount will not be bigger,” he added. Rabin Man Shrestha, chief of the EMD, however, claimed there was clear transparency. “It is just a blame for the sake of blame. Everybody can come and see the bills and documents of the expenses directly,” claimed Shrestha.