Pokhara, June 7:

Minister for Local Development, Dev Gurung, today said local bodies would shortly be formed with the agreement of the eight political parties.

Inaugurating the 15th district council of the Kaski district development committee (DDC) here, Gurung said, “Local bodies will be formed with the agreement of the eight parties pretty soon.”

“The bodies will be formed with the direct participation of people on the principle of decentralisation,” he said.

Stating that the existing centralised system is causing a 40 to 50 per cent freeze in budget of the local bodies every fiscal year, Gurung said the practice of releasing budget at the end of the fiscal year should end.

Development through local bodies is impossible unless the local body representatives

exercise autonomy, Minister Gurung said.

“Past events have proved that the constituent assembly election is not possible until the monarchy exists,” Gurung said, adding that the monarchy should be abolished to make the constituent assembly election possible.