Kathmandu, November 7:

Minister for Local Development Ram Chandra Jha informed the House today that the government would nominate office-bearers in the local bodies by the second week of January.

Answering queries fielded by Constituent Assembly members, Jha said vacant posts in local bodies would be filled up on the basis of consensus among parties.

“The Ministry of Local Development is doing groundwork to this

effect,” said the minister. The local bodies have remained vacant for six years, affecting development work in villages.

In his reply to Constituent Assembly members, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Janardan Sharma ‘Pravarkar’ said his ministry was drafting a Bill on cases of disappearance.

The Bill would be forwarded to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Constituent Assembly Affairs within four days seeking the latter’s approval, Minister Sharma said.

He said the ministry was doing spadework for the formation of five commissions, purposed by the June 25 accord reached among the then seven-party alliance.

He pledged to implement pacts signed between various parties and groups before the Constituent Assembly elections.