HETAUDA: Ministry for Physical Infrastructure Development of Province 3 has asked the central government to allow it to bring all the division offices under its command.

The ministry has said that it has already communicated to the central government to make way for provincial government to exercise control over the division offices which are currently being run under different departments and ministries.

“We have begun correspondence with the central government to bring the divisional offices operational in 13 different districts of the state, under the Provincial Physical Infrastructure Development ministry,” said the Ministry’s Secretary Jibachh Mandal.

Ministry wants to bring the 13 division offices being operated under Department of Urban Development and Building Construction and other 13 division offices being run under Department of Irrigation in all the districts of the state, under its command.

Secretary Mandal furthermore said the ministry also wants to bring the hydro projects with capacity up to 100 megawatts and electricity transmission lines of the province under the ministry.

Likewise, it also wants the control of the offices being run under Water Induced Disaster Management Department in four districts including Makwanpur, Nuwakot, Dolakha and Bhaktapur, division offices that are under Department of Water Supply in 13 districts, two Road Division Offices of Kathmandu and one each of Hetauda, Nuwakot, Charikot (Dolakaha), Khurkot (Sindhuli), Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.

Similarly the ministry also has asked the federal government for accessing authority over Department of Transport Management being operated in different places of Kathmandu, Hetauda and Chitwan.

“As per the constitutional provision, these offices must be brought under the provincial government which is why we have requested federal government to expedite the process as soon as possible,” added Mandal who also lamented on lack of adequate the staff in the ministries of the province.

“We do not have enough staffers and the ministry cannot function effectively without the control over division offices. For now, in terms of day to day job, we are not any different than the ward office of Hetauda sub-metropolitan city,” rued Mandal.

Meanwhile, Physical Infrastructure Development Minister Keshav Sthapit expressed his hope of central government allowing his ministry to bring all the mentioned division offices under the control. “We are in talks with the central government. Hopefully we will be authorised power over these offices, otherwise there is no point in engaging in a federal system,” said Minister Sthapit.