Kathmandu, March 11

The Election Commission has demanded that the government depute civil servants to all newly formed local levels by March 16.

Election commissioners held a meeting with the officials of MoFALD today and told them that civil servants should be deputed to all local levels by March 16 so that the EC could seek their support to determine polling centres for local level election scheduled for May 14 by March 23.

Election Commissioner Ila Sharma said they wanted deployment of civil servants as soon as possible because they had a tight timeline to follow.

MoFALD officers told EC office bearers   that the election-related tasks would not be affected due to lack of staffers in local levels, according to MoFALD Secretary Kedar Bahadur Adhikari.

Over 12,000 staffers are currently working in local level offices. Adhikari said MoFALD was assessing how many additional government employees would be needed for 744 local levels that the government recently created across the country.

The 774 local levels, which were formed by merging two or more than two local bodies, would have new secretaries.

Adhikari said the ministry was in the final stage of deputing three joint secretaries, 193 under secretaries and 191 section officers to local levels within this week.

MoFALD has urged MoGA to provide 193 under secretaries for the newly formed local levels

MoFALD has urged the Ministry of General Administration to provide 193 under secretaries and 191 section officers who could be deputed to local levels.

According to Adhikari, three joint secretaries will be deputed as chief executive officers in newly formed metropolitan cities.

Until before the new local levels were created, Kathmandu was the only metropolitan city where a joint secretary level staff was deputed as chief executive officer.

Likewise, 13 sub-metropolitan cities, 246 municipalities and 481 village council will have under secretaries or section officers

as CEOs.

“The municipalities and village councils, having relatively higher population, geographical size and income source will have under secretaries as CEOs,” Adhikari added.

Along with a gazetted officer, at least one non-gazetted first class officer, two sub-engineers, one computer operator, one accountant and three assistant level staff will also be needed in a newly formed local level.

MoFALD has planned to atuhorise the District Administration Officers to appoint staffers on contract basis, if they deem necessary.

MoFALD Joint Secretary Chakra Bahadur Budha said that a CDO-led district coordination committee had also been authorized to monitor and felicitate the deployment of staff.

“After the local polls, the committee can also appoint required staff on contract”, Budha added. He also informed THT that the Ministry also deployed seven joint secretaries in each province to coordinate the deployment of staffs in local levels.

MoFALD has written to all the local development officers in districts to send details of executive officers deployed in village councils and municipalities so that it can notify the EC of the same.