Bhaktapur, July 17

Locals have accused municipality staffers of not following the building code while issuing permits to build houses and roads.

At a public hearing organised by Anantalingeshwor Municipality with support from Right to Information Society here today, Bimala Ghimire of Anantaligeshwor-9 accused the Division Road Office of constructing and black topping the Bindabasini-Dadikot road section without proper mapping and planning and in violation of the building code.

Nandu Nagarkoti from Anantalingeshwor-15 said her neighbour built a house in violation of the building code and that his house map had been approved by the concerned authorities.

Ram Krishna Chaulagain said most of the roads in the municipality have turned into dirt roads. He further complained that roads constructed during monsoon would not last long.

Similarly, Sanumaiya Rajthala, another local of the area, urged the authorities to build proper drainage networks before constructing roads.

Bhaktapur Chairman of Right to Information Society, Som Sharma (Bajgain), presented a report based on onsite inspection of services provided by the municipality and highlighted grievances related to planning, programmes and other services .

On the occasion, Chief District Officer Tej Prasad Poudel said all citizens had the right to know about development plans.

Responding to locals’ grievances, Chief of Woman and Children Development Office, Nila Ghimire and Anantalingeshwor Municipality’s Executive Officer Hotraj Lamsal, among others, expressed their commitment to fulfil their responsibilities for effective service delivery.