Dhankuta, November 6

Two local bodies in Dhankuta are still operating from rented houses one-and-half years since they came into being. Of the seven local bodies in the district, Sahidbhumi and Chhatharjorpati rural municipalities are running from rented houses.

According to Information Officer Uprendra Bahadur Shrestha at Chhatharjorpati Rural Municipality, the municipality is running from two rented houses of Jorpati bazar for the past one-and-a-half years. The rural municipality pays Rs 25,000 in rent per month.

Chair of the rural municipality Sher Bahadur Limbu said the process of constructing a building for the rural municipality’s office had begun. “After we were provided free land to construct the rural municipality’s building, work related to access road to the site was completed last year. We are now waiting for the provincial government to release the required fund,” he said.

Sahidbhumi Rural Municipality is also running from rented houses. “We have rented two houses for which we pay Rs 18,000 per month,” said the rural municipality’s chair Manoj Rai.

“We’ve six ropani of land at a site, while we’re thinking of acquiring additional nine ropani,” said Rai. “Though the Social Development Ministry had told us earlier that it would release us fund by preparing the necessary guidelines, we haven’t got any information in this regard so far,” he said.

Pakhribas Municipality and Sanguri Rural Municipality are also facing lack of space despite having their own buildings. While things are better at Dhankuta Municipality, which too has its own building to operate from, other two local bodies have managed to find permanent facilities to run.