Kathmandu, October 8:

A panel at the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, formed to recover the advance money taken by several of its employees and peoples’ representatives, is getting a cold welcome.

The 45 days’ time given for the panel to collect details about those who have not returned advance money they had taken from the KMC ends on Tuesday.

Convener of the panel told this daily that the KMC officials and former people’s representatives are not supporting the panel by providing details of advances they have taken from the office.

Convener of the committee, Bikram Adhikary, today said the KMC’s Finance Department has not provided details about defaulters.

“The department has not provided details of the people who have not returned advance money from the KMC, and the account headings under which the money was disbursed to them. We need all the details to track them because many of them have already left their places,” he said.

He also said an Assistant Sub-Inspector of the City Police who is also a member of the committee has never come to the office.

Convener Adhikary also claimed that the panel has already recovered some Rs 1.8 million by contacting several employees who had taken advance from the KMC at different times.

“Many of the employees working in different ward offices of the KMC have asked to deduct the dues from their salary,” he said.

He, however, lamented that the committee members are not able to give much time to work because they are also required to do their regular works in their own departments. “If the panel gets full support from authorities it will not take years to recover dues,” he added.

The Chief Executive Officer of KMC, Dinesh Thapaliya, said the employees of KMC might not have welcomed the pane.

“Had the KMC staffers been positive towards the panel, it would have accomplished this job within the given time-frame,” he said adding that resignations submitted by several KMC employees are pending due to their irregularities.

“The employees may try to delay the working by the committee and keep on lingering to provide details but I am firm to have this work done as soon as possible,” Thapaliya said.

CEO Thapaliya also said the KMC board would soon make the committee a permanent one.