After the agitating group pressured to advance the payment process, the municipal leadership called an executive meeting and pledged to address their demands.
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A joint team of local consumer committees, neighborhood development organizations, and construction entrepreneurs locked the office of Triveni Rural Municipality in Rolpa on Friday, citing non-payment for various development projects.
After the office was locked, the rural municipality chairperson, vice-chairperson, and some staff were confined inside the office. The protesting group also locked the offices of the rural municipality, the chairperson, and other people's representatives.
After they exerted pressure, demanding that the payment process be immediately advanced, the rural municipality chairperson and vice-chairperson called an executive meeting and pledged to address the demands. According to locals, the lockout was lifted about four hours later.
Chief Administrative Officer of the rural municipality, Chet Narayan Kandel, said that although some contractors had not fully completed the projects, efforts were being made to pay them according to the submitted running bills. According to him, although some consumer committees and construction entrepreneurs had completed the necessary procedures for payment based on completed work, payments could not be made because the relevant software system was not functioning.
He stated that if a decision is made by the people's representatives, it would be possible to make payments in the upcoming month of Bhadra. It was reported that, having received prior notice of the lockout, he had left for Butwal early Friday morning and was not present at the office during the incident. According to locals, the protest intensified after the chief administrative officer was absent from the office.
Krishna Nepali, Deputy General Secretary of the Rolpa District Construction Entrepreneurs Committee and a contractor leading the protest, accused staff and some representatives of neglecting to pay bills submitted by construction entrepreneurs and for projects in all seven wards of the rural municipality. He said that due to delayed payments, construction entrepreneurs, consumer committees, and neighborhood development organizations were facing a financial crisis.
The protesting side has warned that if their demands are not immediately implemented, they will again lock the rural municipality office. According to the municipality, it is not possible to release the approximately fifteen million rupees budget even if they want to. An executive meeting is being held under the chairmanship of municipality chairperson Karn Bathamagar to address all the demands.
