Acting chiefs running govt offices in Dadeldhura

By Puskar Bhandari,Dadeldhura, June 29: Most of the government offices in the Dadeldhura district are operating with the acting heads. 

The government offices have been functioning under the acting heads in lack of employees as per the quotas including the office chiefs.  More than four dozen government offices are in Dadeldhura, and many of them have been running without office chiefs. 

The offices of the Domestic and  Cottage Industries, Nepal Electricity Authority, Food Technology and Quality Control Office,  Provincial Comptroller Office, Transport Management Office, Prison, District Postal Office, Vegetable Seed Production Office, Dadeldhura Hospital, Agriculture Education Centre, Land Revenue Office, Survey Office, Infrastructure Development Office and Higher Education Council have been running with acting heads for a long time.

Anjan Neupane, Chief District Officer, said that there was a shortage of staff in more offices under the Provincial Government than the offices functioning under the federal government. 

Most of the offices functioning under the Provincial Government have been running through acting officers as the Provincial Government transferred staff haphazardly.

Complaints have it that the offices of the public concerns were also facing various problems in lack of office chiefs. The departments of some offices are managed by the officiating staff.

A single accountant has been doing work for more than two offices. The accountants are too busy at the end of the fiscal year as they have to clear bills before the new fiscal year begins.  

In lack of required staff, from the government offices to the municipalities and rural municipalities in the district are running under the acting or officiating heads. As a result,  there is a problem in planning the development of the district and making decisions.

According to Chief District Officer Neupane, there might be some legal complications in taking key decisions by acting office chiefs.