Kathmandu, December 21

The government is hesitant to receive the reports prepared by the Local Bodies Restructuring Commission, as receiving reports would render the local bodies under the old structure invalid.

As per Article 303 of the constitution, current local bodies will become non-existent after the LBRC submits its report to the government, said LBRC member Neeraj Shah.

Attorney General Raman Kumar Shrestha said the government was aware of this provision, but was trying to forge consensus among major political parties before accepting the LBRC’s report.

Some leaders of the ruling parties had talked of holding local polls under old structure in case there was no political consensus for the same.

The constitutional body, which is mandated to determine the number and boundaries of local bodies, said that it had completed the reports of all districts, including those of Province 2, and was now seeking time of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to submit the report.

“We have completed the reports and are ready to submit it to the prime minister,” said LBRC member Neeraj Shah, adding, “But we have not got time from his to submit the report.”

Shah said the commission should not be blamed if elections were not held on time.

Another LBRC member Sunil Ranjan Singh also claimed that the government was not ready to receive commission’s report as it was still undecided whether the elections would be held under old or new structure.