Surkhet, February 20

When Physical Infrastructure Development Minister Khadka Bahadur Khatri reached his office today at 10:15am in his official car, the main gate of the ministry was closed.

After some time accountant Nanda Ram Kandel came to open the gate. Kandel took Minister Khatri to the latter’s office and open the door and windows.

Minister Khatri was shocked to see an office without a helper. There was no telephone set and other necessary furniture there.

When Minister Khatri recognised Kandel as an accounts officer, he was shocked to know that there were only two staffers at his office.

Kandel told the minister there was a first class gazetted officer besides him at the ministry.

The ministry has a quota of 33 employees, including a secretary.

After he came to know about the miserable condition of the ministry due to staff crunch, Minister Khatri urged the Office of the Chief Minister to deploy staff immediately.

Account Officer Kandel himself went to the Ministry of Agriculture to prepare a letter as there was no computer there nor a letter pad of the ministry.

Kandel dropped the letter at the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers himself.

Though the ministry was set up more than a week ago and the ministries were appointed three days ago, infrastructure and human resource management is miserable. A staffer was delivering service sitting on the floor for want of furniture at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure today.

Senior Divisional Engineer Prakash Raghubanshi was transferred as secretary to the ministry a month ago, but he has not reported to the office yet.

Besides, four under-secretaries, 12 officers and 14 others are out of contact. There is no proper record of staffers working at the ministry.

Similar is the situation of other ministries in Province 6. The Ministry of Social Development has only five staffers.

There is a quota of 31 employees at the ministry. Under-secretary Bhakta Bahadur Dhakal has been serving as acting chief due to lack of secretary at the ministry.