It is the feudal mindset to seek unnecessary security and benefits which needs to be regulated by law, not on the whims of the Home Ministry

After much criticism from all walks of life over the misuse of security personnel for the security of former holders of high government posts the Home Ministry has drafted a bill to regulate the security and other benefits to them.

The ministry has forwarded the bill to the Finance Ministry for its approval as it requires millions of rupees and resources to manage security and benefits such as monthly salary to the office staffers, residence facility, driver, vehicles, helpers and fuel.

Former dignitaries including head of state, prime ministers, home and other ministers, justices, chiefs of various commissioners, secretaries and even lawmakers have been using personal security officers (PSOs) without law.

It is the discretion of the Home Ministry that decides whom to provide how many number of PSOs, what type of vehicles and how much amount of fuel. These people and their kin also get funds from the government for medical treatment even outside the country.

Considering all these anomalies ruling the roost, the parliamentary Good Governance and Monitoring Committee formed a sub-panel on March 29 to look into the matter.

The Sub-Committee headed by lawmaker Janak Raj Joshi is collecting feedback from stakeholders and security experts about the policy and practical ways of providing security and other benefits to the former dignitaries.

Sad to say is that none of the security bodies – Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force – have cooperated with the sub-panel by providing details of information about the PSOs they have been extending to these persons who held public offices in the past.

A case in point is that one former dignitary has been using 64 security personnel – 23 Nepal Police and 41 Armed Police Force – for his personal security, residence and his office.

An estimated four million rupees has to be spent for the security and benefit of a former prime minister and home minister per annum misusing the tax-payers’ money.

The Sub-Committee which will submit its report to the full committee has suggested that the bill forwarded by the Home Ministry should not be passed as it is as its proposal providing security and other benefits to the former high-profile dignitaries are “unjustifiable”.

The bill should be discussed thoroughly in the concerned committee with inputs from security experts.

The level of security threat to a person concerned should be taken into account and a study should also be carried out about the international practice. There are eight former prime ministers, nine deputy prime ministers, 11 former chief justices and 17 former home ministers who have been using excessive numbers of PSOs and equally taking benefits from the state coffers unlawfully.

Some of the former high profile people have been getting excessive security and benefits as a matter of pride and prestige though they may not have any perceived security threats as they had retired from the public office long ago.

The sub-panel has also suggested providing security and benefits to former home ministers only for three years after their retirement from the office.

It is the feudal mindset to seek unnecessary security and benefits which needs to be regulated by law, not on whims of the Home Ministry.

Shortage again

The umbrella organization of gas bottling plants Nepal LP Gas Industry Association has directed all its members not to collect product delivery order (PDO) from Nepal Oil Corporation for the time being.

Consumers who believed that they would not have to worry about the supply of LPG now again could face scarcity of the cooking gas again. The PDO permits the supplies to the gas bottling plants in Nepal from the Indian Oil Corporation.

The gas bottlers have taken this drastic measure after the government stopped issuing PDO to a gas supplying company after one gas cylinders sold by it exploded in Lalitpur.

The gas dealers should understand that a lot of their consumers have had enough of coping with the shortages of LPG and when it looked like supplies would be normal it again seems that there would be shortages of cooking gas in the market again.

The only ones to benefit would be the black marketers.

As many gas companies have already faced similar action in the past the dealers should realize that they would be only creating hardships to the consumers and the offending cooking gas dealers should be punished to protect the consumers.