Kathmandu, June 29

The government has decided to make necessary laws for restructuring and mobilisation of Nepal Police and Armed Police Forces as per the federal set-up.

The Cabinet meeting held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar reached a decision to draft two bills for the transition of the security bodies in accordance with the constitution.

Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sher Bahadur Tamang told media-persons that today’s Cabinet meeting agreed in principle to give a go-ahead to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the authorities concerned to formulate a ‘Bill on Operation, Supervision and Coordination of Performance of Federal Police and Provincial Police’. This bill will demarcate the functions, duties and powers of the federal and provincial police.

Similarly, the meeting endorsed a proposal for drafting the ‘Bill on Organisational Operation of Armed Police Force and Terms and Conditions of Service’. The Cabinet also decided to draft the law relating to the establishment of Bidhushi Yogmaya University and allow the use of forest land for Upper Trishuli 3B Hydropower Project.

The process of restructuring police organisation has been expedited as courts and many other government bodies have already started operating under the federal set-up. More than one-and-a-half years have elapsed after a task force led by former Inspector General of Police Kuber Singh Rana submitted a report on restructuring Nepal Police to the MoHA, but the government has yet to finalise the Federal Police Bill and Provincial Police Bill.

The delay in formulation of these bill has obstructed integration, management and deployment of police in accordance with the constitution. Article 268 of the constitution states that the federation shall have Nepal Police and each province shall have a provincial police organisation.

Earlier, the Cabinet had approved 3,101 new posts in Nepal Police, of which 1,600 posts would be filled after the upcoming fiscal beginning mid-July. The addition of new posts was to ensure that all local levels had police units under their concerned province. The Cabinet also decided to lower the number of posts of additional inspectors general of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force as part of the restructuring exercise.

As per the decision, Nepal Police will have three AIGs and APF will have two, down from 16 AIG posts in Nepal Police and 11 in APF.

According to the MoHA, IGP will lead the federal police while deputy inspectors general will act as the chief of Metropolitan Police Office and the provincial police. Presently, MPO is headed by an AIG. APF company will be set up in each of the 77 districts. The government has already established provincial police offices led by DIGs in each of the seven provinces.