The clash between the mayor and the chief administrative officer has made the municipal assemblies of three local levels in Rautahat uncertain. Although the Local Government Operation Act stipulates that the policies, programs and budgets for the coming fiscal year should be presented to the municipal/village assemblies by Asad 10 every year, Rautahat's Fatuwa Bijaypur, Katahariya and Garuda municipalities have not been able to hold their municipal assemblies by Wednesday.

Out of the 16 municipalities and two rural municipalities in Rautahat, the municipal assemblies in these three municipalities have been stalled due to misunderstandings, accusations and power struggles between the mayor and the chief administrative officer.

Katahariya Municipality Mayor Ajay Prakash accused Chief Administrative Officer Hari Pant of not coming to the office since he appeared on Jestha 4. 'Because of him, the work of the office has become chaotic. Now there is uncertainty about when the municipal assembly will be held,' he said. According to him, the municipal assembly was held on time last year. Chief Administrative Officer Pant is currently out of the district. He has also handed over the office mobile phone to the mayor.

The municipal assembly could not be held in Garuda Municipality due to a dispute between Mayor Kanthamani Jaiswal and Chief Administrative Officer Neelam Neupane. Mayor Jaiswal accused Neupane of trying to create factions and sub-cliques among employees and public representatives since he came to office and of doing politics rather than administration. 'He started doing politics rather than the work of the municipality. It is because of him that the municipal assembly could not be held,' he said.

However, Chief Administrative Officer Neupane denied all the allegations made by the mayor. According to him, the allegations are baseless. Although he was transferred elsewhere a month ago, the ministry had later stayed in Garuda. Last year, this municipality had held the municipal assembly on Asad 10 itself.

The municipal assembly could not be held in Fatuwa Bijaypur Municipality due to a dispute between Acting Mayor Ambeya Khatun and Chief Administrative Officer Kamal Prasad Dahal. Khatun has been holding the position of acting mayor for four years after the then mayor Gopal Rai was suspended after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed a corruption case.

Khatun alleged that payments for completed projects have been stopped. 'Despite the completion of many projects, the Chief Administrative Officer has not agreed to make payments. The situation here does not seem to improve until he is transferred,' she said. She has also demanded the transfer of the Chief Administrative Officer. This municipality has not been able to hold a municipal assembly on time in the past.

Meanwhile, 15 other local levels in the district have held their municipal assemblies on time and have already made the budget for the upcoming fiscal year public. Most of them have prioritized education, health, agriculture, irrigation and road infrastructure.

In the three municipalities, power struggles at the leadership level have dominated more than policy and development. Mayors are running to the ministry demanding the removal of the Chief Administrative Officer and sending new employees. On the other hand, some Chief Administrative Officers have claimed that the dispute has increased because they did not comply after being pressured to pay old payments and make controversial decisions.

According to the Local Government Operation Act, there is a legal provision that the budget must be presented by 10th Ashad and passed by mid-Ashad. If the municipal assembly cannot be held, the budget cannot be released from the Treasury and Accounts Control Office. This directly affects development construction, payment processes, and employee salaries.