According to Bhojraj Joshi, Accounts Officer of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, everything is safe except for computer vandalism in the Accounts Branch.
During the demonstration on August 24th, although the ministries and offices of the Far Western Province government in Dhangadhi were vandalized and set on fire, the accounting branches of the respective ministries were safe.
According to an accounting officer working in the provincial ministry, the office of the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development, the Ministry of Land Management, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law and the accounting branch of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forestry and Environment have suffered only minor damage.
According to Bhojraj Joshi, Accounts Officer of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, everything is safe except for computer vandalism in the Accounts Branch. All these accounts were saved from the fire as they were located on the third floor.
"The protestors vandalized and set fire from below," said Joshi, "the fire started from the ground floor so it could not spread to the third floor." According to the account officer of the Ministry of Social Development, Yagya Raj, the fire broke out on the ground floor of the ministry. The staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law had gone to secure the accounting documents. The Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forestry and Environment has been vandalized from outside but no arson has been done, so the documents have been saved.
According to Hari Prasad Paneru, senior agricultural extension officer of the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives, although the computers and drawers of the accounting branch of the ministry were vandalized, everything is safe.
Provincial Assembly documents destroyed
The protesters have caused the most damage to the Sudurpaschim Provincial Assembly. According to Deb Bahadur Bogti, Secretary of the Provincial Assembly, all the documents were burnt to ashes in the meeting room and secretariat. All the documents of the financial year 081/82 and the current financial year 082/83 in the accounts branch have been burnt and destroyed.
But since the accounting branch of the ministry is safe, the minimum services including salary payment have been put into operation. The Provincial Assembly Secretariat has also paid the salaries to the officials and MPs.
Navraj Ojha, spokesperson of the office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, said that the work including payment of employee wages, correspondence, recommendation and coordination has started. The office is currently being cleaned and painted. "The ministry has allocated a budget for office maintenance," he said, "repair and painting are being done using that budget." If the amount is insufficient, the government can make further decisions.'
