Himal Dhungel

Ramechhap, March 12:

Most complaint boxes at government offices in the district of Ramechhap have been attracting birds and spiders — and not complaints. These boxes were placed so that the locals could make their grievances heard by dropping complaints about the services provided by government offices. But the people seem uninterested in making their voices heard, if nests and cobwebs found inside these boxes are anything to go by. Complaint boxes were first installed in government offices in 1970. But these boxes, instead of drawing complaints, started drawing spiders and birds.

As most of these boxes were damaged, some of them have been replaced with boxes made of glass. But these boxes, too, have not been able to draw the attention of the people so far.

Officials said that, unlike in the past, these boxes were opened every day. “What can we do if people do not want to drop complaints in the box?” said Uddhav Prasad Ghimire, the chief of the District Land Revenue Office. The old box at his office has been replaced with a complaint box made of glass. Ghimire hoped that dropping complaints would be easier since the box has been placed at the front side of the office. Meanwhile, the local development officer of the Ramechhap DDC, Udhav Timisena, said that a complaint had been found inside the box placed at the DDC office. The District Administration Office has installed complaint boxes at public places, said the chief district officer, Choodamani Basyal, urging the people to drop complaints about the services provided by government offices.