POKHARA: A year has elapsed since the local representatives assumed their offices in the rural municipalities of Kaski district.

Chairman of Rupa Rural Municipality, Nawaraj Ojha, has completed most of the tasks he had decided to take on. Ojha, while taking oath of office and secrecy, had committed to various tasks including appointment of staff in all wards, connecting all the wards with road networks, providing social security to all the households, and establishing laboratories in health posts.

In line with his commitment, Ojha has established laboratories in the health posts. As many as five laboratories have been established in different wards with joint assistance of Rs 2,200,000 from Empower Nepal and the rural municipality. The locals were elated as they can now take 20 different tests including stool, urine, sputum, blood among others in the local labs.

Chair Ojha opined that the established labs would support treatment of patients coming to the health facilities for check-up. He said, now people would be relieved of extra expenses they otherwise had to incur on transportation fare, food and accommodation, to go to another district for carrying out lab tests, adding that the presence of local government would be felt by the people.

"It used to cost a lot of money just to take general lab test, but now we are happy that the service is available in local health posts," local Til Bahadur Thapa said.

It has been reported that a programme was organised to extend felicitations to senior citizens of the rural municipality marking the completion of one year of local representatives assuming office. The rural municipality chair was scheduled to inaugurate a newly built health post in ward 6 today itself.

Meanwhile, Rupa Rural Municipality was declared fully vaccinated on Wednesday.