Pokhara, October 20

Chief Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung today said the constitutional provision on salary and benefits of people’s representatives was flawed and the error had to be corrected by amending the constitution.

Speaking at a tea reception programme organised by Federation of Nepali Journalists, Gandaki Province Chapter in Pokhara, CM Gurung said, “If the federal and provincial governments have the right to provide salary and avail facilities to office bearers at the federal and provincial levels, local levels should also have the same right,”adding that Gandaki Province had formulated laws to provide salary to local level office bearers since there was no such provision in the constitution.

The Supreme Court had annulled six provincial laws that allowed office bearers of local levels to draw monthly salaries, on October 18. The apex court order has halted payment of salaries to thousands of office bearers and people’s representatives at local levels, across the country.

Gurung reiterated that the constitution had provisioned salary and other benefits to the prime minister, chief ministers and members of the federal parliament and the provincial assembly, but it discriminated against local level office bearers. He said the constitution had done injustice to tlocal level representatives.

CM Gurung said languages of Gurung and Magar could be made languages of daily activities in the province.

Gurung made it clear that both federal and provincial governments would not promote impunity. “We respect democracy and allow the police to work without any political pressure and bias,” Gurung said. He, however, vented ire at the media for putting all leaders and parties in the same basket just because of a few corrupt leaders.