Rajbiraj, October 21

Service delivery at the Bode Barsain Area Administration Office has been severely affected , as village secretaries have not come in to office, preferring to stay in Rajbiraj itself.

The Area Administration Office was set up about five months ago to address the administrative needs of the residents of 22 VDCs including Negada, Inaruwa, Phulbariya, Saraswor, Bode Barsain, and Malhaniyan to the west of Saptari district, who would otherwise have to travel to the District Administration Office in Rajbiraj.

“Setting up the Area Administration Office has become pointless, because the VDC secretaries stay in Rajbiraj itself, and we have to travel to district headquarters to avail of government services,” said a local Hareram Pasawan of Barasain-9.

Another local Radhubir Sah of Banauli-7 also shared similar concern. “Although there is an Area Administration Office in our locality from where we should be able to get citizenship certificates and other official documents, without a village secretary at office, we have to travel to the district headquarters anyway,” he said.

On his part, Chief of Bode Barsain Area Administration Office Udaya Prasad Chaudhary expressed his helplessness. “Despite my frequent requests to the village secretaries to stay in the Area Administration Office, they continue to flout my requests,” he said.