The Supreme Court has issued a short-term order to keep the decision to abolish the directorates of Gandaki province without immediate implementation.

The Nepal Forest Technical Association filed a petition in the Supreme Court on August 15 against the cancellation of the directorate. On Tuesday, a single bench of Judge Nripadhwaj Niraula issued a show cause order while hearing the writ. It is mentioned in the order that after discussion with both the parties, it will be decided whether the interim order should be issued or not.

The government of Gandaki province decided to abolish 7 directorates and 2 centers of the province from the cabinet meeting held on 26 July. The decision was expected to bring major changes in the administrative structure of the province. The government said that this step was taken with the aim of reducing expenses and making the administration more efficient. Chief Minister Surendraraj Pandey had been promising to remove unnecessary structures according to the concept of 'small government'. This decision was made at the very beginning of the implementation of the budget for the current financial year. Earlier, the government also formed an administrative review committee under the coordination of former secretary Sharad Poudel, which studied the necessary structure.

The abolished offices include Directorate of Tourism, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection, Directorate of Agricultural Development, Directorate of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Directorate of Infrastructure Development, Directorate of Forestry, Directorate of Education Development and Provincial Health Directorate. In addition, the Provincial Health Training Center and the Provincial Health Supply Management Center were also abolished. The government had argued that the work of these directorates could be done by the ministry and that they created duplication of work.

The Forest Technicians Association has filed a writ in the Supreme Court against the decision to abolish the Forest Directorate. The association has argued that expertise and technical knowledge are needed in sensitive areas like forests. According to the association, the cancellation of the directorate will have a serious impact on forest and environment protection, sustainable forest management and implementation of forest policy. The union has objected to the government's decision saying that this may increase the illegal theft and export of forest produce and may affect environmental protection programs.