POKHARA: Pokhara Lekhnath Metropolitan Office has not been able to improve the flow and quality of services to the service seekers despite the election of local body representatives in the office.

At a programme organised at the metropolitan office, the civil society in the metropolis unveiled Ethical Commitment and Implementation Survey Report 2074 and made public the data for effective implementation of good governance in the organisations associated with Transparency International Nepal.

Compared to past trends, after the election of the representatives, only 25 per cent improvement has been visible in the provision of services.

The report mentions that even now the services provided by the metropolitan office are not transparent and accountable, on the basis of the feedback surveyors had taken from the service seekers.

In the programme, Pokhara Lekhnath Metropolitan City Mayor Man Bahadur GC said that one person's effort is not sufficient to promote good governance and minimize corruption, the support of the whole city is essential.

It has been a challenge to provide proper services to the people due to prevalent corruption, he shared.

The Mayor added that it has been difficult to control the corruption among the officers. Complaints have been filed against officers asking for bribes. He further shared his intentions to carry out investigations into the matter.

The Mayor expressed that he has been contemplating ways to provide services up to par to the people. He said that people who bribe the officers are equally at fault.

According to Shree Hari Aryal of Transparency International Nepal, there is a trend of officers not heeding to the advice of the  representatives chosen by the people.

Chief District Officer of Kaski Taranath Adhikari informed that he had received a few complaints about the ward chair and representatives from the metropolis asking for bribes from the service seekers, thus increasing corruption on an institutional level.

Among the corruption cases that have gone to the court for prosecution after the investigation by Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA)-Pokhara, only 80 per cent have been successfully resolved, according to Chief of the Commission, Yadu Panthi.

Panthi added that everyone should be aware and alert for the minimisation of corruption.