Dhangadi, May 2

The Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers of Sudurpaschim Province has set up its contact office in the then regional headquarters Dipyal.

The province government established its contact office after the regional administrative office was scrapped and handed over to the province government. Though a board of the contact office has been put up at the then regional office, the office does not have any staff except an office assistant.

Office Assistant Nabaraj Pandey, who worked on contract at the then regional office has been assigned the responsibility of looking after the contact office.

Earlier, the federal government had scrapped regional administrative offices and handed over all the documents and records to the respective province governments.

According to a source, Principal Secretary Narayan Prasad Bidari had issued an order to remove the signboard of the regional administrative office and put up a signboard indicating ‘contact office’ to Office Assistant Pandey.

Dipayal denizens have been staging protest demanding that the headquarters be kept in their place for a long time. Prior to his election to the chief minister’s post, Trilochan Bhatta too had participated in the sit-in in front of the Regional Administrative Office in Dipayal.

After he was elected CM, the provincial temporary headquarters was fixed at Godawari of Kailali.

Dipayl Provincial Capital Struggle Committee Coordinator Narendra Khadka said the contact office might have been set up in Dipyal to calm down the agitation.