Kathmandu: The mayors, deputy mayors, and chairs and vice chairs of local levels from Bagmati Province have demanded empowerment for strengthening federalism. The people’s representatives expressed these views during an interaction with members of the National Assembly held on Sunday. The interaction was organized by the federal parliament secretariat.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Chairperson of Khani Khola rural municipality, Indra Bahadur Thing, emphasized that if local levels were made efficient in utilizing resources and revenue, there would be no dependence on grants from the federal and provincial governments. He pointed out that the current situation in the ministries of the federal and provincial governments forces them to demand more autonomy. He added that local levels aim to develop programs based on the needs and identity of their respective geographies, but constitutional hurdles must be addressed.
Chairperson of Bhimphedi rural municipality in Makwanpur, Hidam Lama, highlighted the need for the appointment of a deputy secretary or an equivalent chief administrative officer in the municipality. Lama stressed that the role of administrative staff is as crucial as that of elected representatives in making a municipality capable. He advocated for the presence of competent chief administrative officers at the local level.
Vice Chairperson of Bidur municipality, Prabha Bogati, noted the importance of initiatives to remove complexities that hinder local levels from preparing and implementing budgets effectively. She called for simplification of procedures to enable local administrations to function more efficiently.