Kathmandu, August 31

Although two new districts were carved out from Nawalparasi and Rukum after the promulgation of the new constitution, they are yet to get their own administrative set up.

According to the constitution, four districts — Nawalparasi-Bardaghat-Susta-east, Nawalparasi-Bardaghat-Susta-west and eastern Rukum and western Rukum — were carved out of the two districts.

District offices including the district administration offices located in the western part of Nawalparasi and Rukum districts are providing services to the residents of the new districts.

Attorney General Basant Ram Bhandari said elected representatives of the district coordination committees of the newly created districts would name their districts. After creation of the two new districts, the number of districts has reached 77. Even two years after promulgation of the constitution and creation of new districts, the government has neither set up offices there, nor has it posted chief district officers in the new districts.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development Rudrasingh Tamang said creation of the two additional districts was in the nascent stage and the ministries concerned had to take decisions to set up new administration, other offices and infrastructure there and allocate budget for them.

He said the ministry was, however, in the process of deploying local development officers in eastern Rukum and Nawalparasi-Bardghat-Susta-east as per the directive of the Election Commission. LDOs need to be posted soon in the two new districts, as district coordination committees will have to be formed in the new districts soon, according to Tamang.

Earlier, the poll panel directed the government to send LDOs to the newly created districts to hold elections to the district coordination committees and arrange their offices.

Chief District Officer of Nawalparasi district, Udaya Bahadur Rana told THT over phone that he had read news about the creation of Nawalparasi-Bardaghat-Susta-east but was yet to get official instruction or letter from the ministries concerned about the same.

Rana said the existing structure of district had been providing services to the people of the newly carved district as it did in the past.

CDO of Rukum district Bansi Kumar Acharya told THT over phone  that he too read in newspapers about the division of Rukum district but had not received any instruction from the line ministry about setting  up offices and  infrastructure needed for the  newly created district. Acharya said he was providing services to the residents of eastern Rukum as in the past.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the district coordination committees will rename the four districts carved out of Nawalparasi and Rukum.