Employees of Phungling Municipality not getting salary

By Chandra Pandak,Taplejung, Nov. 27: Employees of Phungling Municipality, the only municipality in Taplejung district, have been deprived of their salaries for the past two months due to the absence of a Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

The municipality has been without a CAO since Jaya Narayan Khanal's transfer to Chainpur Municipality in Sankhuwasabha district in early October. As a result, employees at the municipality office, 11 ward offices, health institutions and other departments have not received their salaries for October and November.

According to Acting Chief Administrative Officer Prakash Paudel, around 150 employees have been affected. Paudel said that while handling most administrative responsibilities, he does not have the authority to execute financial transactions, including salary disbursements.

The previous CAO, Khanal, had disbursed salaries for September, including Dashain festival allowances, allowing employees to celebrate the festival. However, the two-month salary delay has disrupted plans and caused significant challenges in financial management. Employees have reported difficulty implementing pre-planned activities due to the lack of funds.

The delay has also affected payments for child development facilitators, school staff and midday meal allowances for students. 

Kamal Bhattarai, Headmaster of Shivalaya Basic School, located in Dokhu, Phuungling-8, revealed that payments for these groups have been pending since July. The municipality is yet to release these funds, with officials citing the absence of a CAO as the reason.

Phungling Municipality oversees 51 schools, where thousands of students and numerous staff members have been impacted by the delay in payments for midday meals and other allowances.

The lack of a CAO has also disrupted other municipal projects tied to financial operations, delaying crucial development and administrative tasks. Locals have expressed concern over the adverse impact on time-sensitive projects.

After around two and a half months without a CAO, the municipality has finally decided to appoint a CAO. Bishnu Prasad Gurung has been designated as the new CAO by the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration.