Dhangadi, February 10

A team from the regional office of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has arrived in Jorayal to investigate into alleged financial irregularities in the construction of Budar-Jorayal road in Doti.

The CIAA team arrived in Jorayal for field inspection after locals filed a complaint with the anti-graft body saying that money was misused while gravelling the seven-kilometre road section. Locals have complained that Rs 5.3 million was spent arbitrarily acting on the orders of rural municipality chair Durga Prasad Ojha.

Local Tika Singh Sahu was assigned the contract to gravel the road five months ago. The complaint registered at the CIAA states that rural municipality chair Ojha directed the contractor to allocate Rs 5.3 million to his cadres to gravel the road.

A local from Jorayal said rural municipality chair had committed a serious mistake.  Baburam Dahal, overseer at the rural municipality office, said the road was gravelled with Rs 6.4 million investment by the rural municipality and  labour worth Rs 1.1 million donated by the locals. “Of Rs 5.3 million, 4.7 million has already been released,” Dahal said.

A CIAA team led by Dipayal Chief Rajan Nepal is in Jorayal. Nepal said financial irregularities had taken place. “An investigation is on, details will come out soon,” Nepal added.