The budget brought in Dhanusha Dhanauji rural municipality without the participation of the vice president was canceled by the court order
Dhanauji Rural Municipality of Dhanusha submitted the budget for the financial year 2081/82 in the assembly held on June 6. It was passed by the meeting held on 19 and 20 October. Municipal Vice President Ramvatidevi Mandal was absent in both those meetings. While the law has assigned the right to present the budget in the assembly to the vice president. Taking this basis, she knocked on the door of the court. Finally, the order has come in his favor, the annual budget of the municipality has been cancelled.
As soon as the ward president presented the budget in the village assembly, she reached the Mandal High Court in Janakpur. On October 7, the Supreme Court issued an order to 'make the Vice President participate' in the next process. Dissatisfied with that, the council appealed to the Supreme Court. Even then, in his absence, the budget was approved by the village assembly on 19 and 20 October. Mandal again filed a writ in the High Court saying that the budget was approved without informing her.
The High Court of Janakpur has announced on February 6 that the decision made by the meeting of the village assembly without the participation of the vice-chairman will be annulled by the order of expulsion.
The Supreme Court has also issued an order on Friday in the name of the opposition saying that it will be done according to the law. Details of the order are yet to come. I went to the court saying that I should not remain silent after the rights given by the law have been taken away. Now it is felt that justice has been done, this is a precedent for other municipalities as well, said Vice President Mandal.
The vice-chairman claims that after the meeting held illegally and the budget presented there were cancelled, the expenses incurred by the municipality will also be considered as abuse of authority. He demands that there should be an inquiry into the expenses. She said that the amount of all the checks cut based on the decision of the assembly through illegal means should be returned to the government. The municipality had brought a budget of Rs 45 crore 79 lakh 76 thousand for the current financial year. Village Chairman Rajkumar Sah says that the order of the court has affected all the operations of the municipality.
According to the Local Government Operation Act, 2074, every municipality must submit the revenue and expenditure (budget) of the next fiscal year to the Assembly within June 10. The law provides that the authority to submit the budget is given to the vice president of the rural municipality or the deputy head of the municipality or any member of the executive appointed by the executive. Based on the Act made by the Union Government, it is mentioned in the Village Sabha-Nagar Sabha-Zilla Sabha Operation (Procedure) Act, 2077 that the budget will be presented by the vice-chairman or deputy head, and any member of the executive appointed by the executive will do it if the position of vice-chairman or deputy head is vacant.
Mandal is elected vice-president twice in a row. In the past, she presented the budget in the village assembly. The board heard that although the responsibilities of judicial committee coordinator, planning and program monitoring and supervision belong to the vice president by law, the president is interfering. As the vice president, I am the coordinator of the monitoring and supervision committee. But the president himself has signed the monitoring report," she said. "Not in one place, but in many places, the post of vice president has been insulted. Vice presidents and deputy chiefs have been facing this problem because there are women in many municipalities. My fight has protected the rights of all vice presidents and deputy chiefs.'
Since the establishment of people's representatives at the local level, there has been a problem regarding the jurisdiction between the head/chairman and the deputy head/vice-chairman in various municipalities. There are more disputes about those elected from different parties.
In some municipalities, there is constant water shortage. Chairman and Vice Chairman of Dhanauji Rural Municipality are elected from the same party, Congress. Mandal told that she had to struggle with the then president Badri Singh to work in an institutional manner even when she was the vice president in the previous term.
Municipal President Sah claims that he informed the Vice President about the meeting, but when he did not come at the last moment, he was asked to present the budget by the ward president. But the municipality could not confirm in the court that it had given notice of the meeting to the council. Shah said that he did not embezzle a single penny and did not interfere with the rights of the Vice President. He said that he will now complete the process and call the village assembly. "We will move forward with a new decision in his presence in the upcoming meeting. The development of the municipality will accelerate.'
Mandal also petitioned the Information Commission demanding the implementation of the right to information after not being able to get the income and expenditure statement for the financial year 2080/81. The Commission has already ordered the Dhanauji municipality to provide the requested expenditure details along with the name of the project. The Commission has ordered to provide the details of the employees appointed in the last two years and the process of appointment, as well as bank account details to the Vice President. "It is not easy for women to exercise their rights even if they get a position," she said, "If women who came into politics after barely leaving the square are not allowed to work, they will only be an outward representation of women."
