Sajha Publications failing to pay staff despite govt assistance of Rs 300m

Kathmandu, July 30

Sajha Publications, the country’s oldest publication house, is once again mired in controversy over mismanagement.

Bhes Raj Ghimire, a staffer at the publication house, said he had not been paid salary for the last six months. “When I was posted in Rajbiraj, I was promised regular monthly salary. But I have not received salary for the last six months,” he said. Ghimire also claimed that the publication house was hiring staff even as it was deep in debt.

Similarly, Tara Karmacharya, a former staffer, said the publication house had been a victim of mismanagement. “This is sad because the government had also provided grant assistance to bail the publication house of its financial crisis,” added Karmacharya.

Executive Director Dolindra Prasad Sharma said he did not receive cooperation from staffers although he was trying to save the publication house. “No audit has been carried out in the publication house for the last 11 years. We have awarded the audit contract to Ascent Consultant Service after we received Rs 300 million from the government. But instead of supporting the move, the staffers have stood against it.”

Bashant Tripathi, an auditor at Ascent Consultant Service, shared that Sajha was facing problems as it had not  kept yearly record of its transactions.