The hill plus mountain areas will have over 375 local bodies against Madhes’s 275. How can Madhes have fewer local bodies?

Kathmandu, July 29

Leaders associated with the United Democratic Madhesi Front are of the view that they should mount pressure to halt the functioning of Local Bodies Restructuring Commission.

According to Nepal Sadbhawna Party Chair Anil Kumar Jha, today’s meeting of the front discussed a host of issues and leaders were of the view that they should mount pressure to halt Local Bodies Restructuring Commission’s work as the restructuring of the local bodies suggested by the commission would further victimise Madhes in terms of political representation.

“First the provincial boundaries should be revised and once that happens, the provinces should have the authority to deal with the issues that come under their jurisdiction,” Jha said.

Co-chair of Sadbhawna Party Laxman Lal Karna said restructuring of the local bodies came under the domain of provinces in all the federal countries but here it was being done by the centre and the UDMF could not accept that. Karna said the commission never consulted the UDMF, which was an important stakeholder, and therefore, the UDMF could not accept the commission’s proposal.

NSP Chair Jha said the commission had proposed to create over 175 local bodies in Madhes, 275 in the hills and 100 in the mountain regions, which was not fair. “This means the hill plus mountain areas will have over 375 local bodies against Madhes’s 275.

How can Madhes, where more than half of the population lives, have fewer local bodies? How can this be justifiable?” Jha wondered.

He said fewer local bodies in Madhes would mean that there would be less budget in Madhes compared to the hill areas and that would also affect Madhes’s representation in the Upper House and the presidential election.

Jha said the commission had proposed having a population of at least 50,000 for a municipality in Madhes, whereas it proposed a district (Manang) with a population of 6,000 in the hills.

UDMF leaders said they would sit for talks again tomorrow to form a common position before holding a meeting with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN-MC Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal.