Itahari, July 13:

Though the office hour ends at 4 pm, government offices in Itahari are closed an hour earlier because of insecurity.

Employees at the district public health office, district education office, district land revenue

office, municipality office, land reform office, district technician’s office, Agriculture Development Bank and district agriculture development office, among others, say that lack of security has forced them to call it a day at 3 pm.

According to them, unknown people call them up to seek donations and armed groups threaten them with life.

“We are compelled to close the offices before 3.00 pm because the local administration has turned deaf ears to our demand for security,” Sunsari LDO Guru Prasad Subedi said, adding: “How can we work amid threats and extortions?”

Conceding that early closure of offices has affected people, Subedi said the government employees were ready to work till 4 pm, provided the administration made them feel secure.

Subedi said increasing number of government employees are being threatened by individual criminals rather than certain groups.

District public health office chief Ram Dhan Meheta said he had

asked the local police to provide security to government employees. A police source said even the police personnel are receiving threats.

CDO Chiranjibi Adhikary said he has no information about the early closure of government

offices. He said the local administration is planning to execute a special security plan for government offices.