Ruckus in Nepal on the border with Bihar: Why did people burn the effigy of PM Balen Shah?

New Delhi: Anger has flared up in Rautahat district of Nepal bordering India. On Thursday, people took to the streets in Moulapur municipality adjacent to Sitamarhi in Bihar and demonstrated and burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Balendra Shah. It is alleged that due to the negligence of the Central Government, the work of the municipality has come to a complete standstill.

There is no senior officer in the municipality   

The reason for the protest is the non-appointment of the Chief Administrative Officer. According to local people, Suresh Babu Ghimire was transferred to Moulapur Municipality by the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration. But he never took charge.

Later the ministry called him back. After this no other officer was sent in his place. The result is that the municipality is running without any top administrative officer. This post has been lying vacant for months.

impact on people’s lives   

Due to the absence of the Chief Officer, everyday work has come to a halt. Local people say that development work, utilization of budget and salaries of employees are all stuck. Municipal school teachers have not received salaries for the last six months. Before this, teachers had also done ‘pen-down’ movement.

Payments to pregnant women and new mothers under the Multi-Sector Nutrition Program have also not been made. The sanitation workers stopped work due to non-payment of outstanding salaries, due to which garbage has accumulated in the entire area. People say that no file is moving forward without an officer. Essential public services are completely at a standstill.

Mayor accused the center of deliberately creating crisis  

Maulapur Mayor Reena Kumari Sah directly accused the central government. He said that the officer was deliberately not appointed at the crucial time of implementing the budget. The mayor said, "These delays have been done to create administrative crisis and hamper the work of the municipality. The government does not want to allow the budget to be implemented."  

The protesters burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Balen Shah and demanded that the Chief Administrative Officer be appointed as soon as possible. He says that the movement will continue until this post is filled. Resentment is continuously increasing in this area adjacent to the border. Now it remains to be seen what action the Kathmandu government takes on this.