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🇳🇵 Nepal /Economy & Trade

Office dispute forces costly administrative trips in Bajhang

From Kathmandu Post · (1d ago) English Critical tone

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Residents of Bungal Municipality in Bajhang, Nepal, face significant travel costs and time to obtain citizenship certificates.
  • An Area Administration Office intended to ease this process remains unopened due to a local dispute over its location.
  • Residents are suffering due to the conflict, which is driven by desires to increase land prices and boost local business.

The people of Bungal Municipality in Bajhang are enduring a protracted struggle, forced to undertake arduous and expensive journeys to the district headquarters simply to secure their citizenship certificates. This decades-long ordeal, involving multiple trips and substantial costs for transportation, meals, and lodging, highlights a critical administrative failure that disproportionately affects remote populations.

Two people must go—the applicant and a witness. If the documents are in order, they can be returned within two days. If not, or if there is any mismatch, it can take six to seven days.

— Jaimal DhamiDescribing the lengthy process and potential delays in obtaining citizenship certificates.

The establishment of an Area Administration Office was meant to alleviate this burden. However, a local dispute over its siting within Kedarsyu Rural Municipality has stalled its opening. Residents of Jhota, Deura, and Bagthala are locked in a contest, each vying for the office to be located in their area. This conflict, fueled by the prospect of increased land values and local business growth, is directly contributing to the ongoing suffering of citizens who need these essential documents.

Some people have to travel between the ward office and Chainpur three or four times due to clerical errors. During my tenure, there were many complaints from people who were compelled to spend Rs80,000 to Rs90,000 just to obtain their citizenship.

— Jaimal DhamiIllustrating the high costs and repeated travel required due to administrative issues.

While the Ministry of Home Affairs has initiated plans for such offices, the local power dynamics and competing interests in Bajhang have created a significant bottleneck. The situation underscores a common challenge in Nepal, where development projects and administrative improvements can become entangled in local rivalries. For the residents of Bungal, and indeed other affected rural municipalities, the immediate need is for the office to open quickly, regardless of the exact location, as their daily lives and access to services are severely hampered by this administrative impasse.

It would be a facility for us regardless of where it opens, as long as it opens quickly.

— Jaimal DhamiExpressing the urgency and desire for the Area Administration Office to be operational.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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