Eight years on, Nawalpur still struggles without official name, headquarters and prison

By Bomlal Giri,Nawalpur, Apr. 29: After Nepal adopted federalism, Nawalparasi district was divided to create Nawalparasi Bardaghat Susta East (Nawalpur), but even after eight years, it has not been named officially. Although the foundation stone of the ‘model’ district headquarters was laid in 2019, two years after the division, not a single building has been constructed till now.

Because of the absence of buildings, all government offices except the Land Revenue and Survey Office are operating from rented houses. Chief of the Urban Development and Building Construction Project, Jhak Bahadur Thapa, said that these offices are paying more than Rs. 1 million monthly in rent.

Another major problem Nawalpur district has been facing for the past eight years is the lack of a prison. There is not a single prison in the district. As a result, prisoners have to be transported either to Nawalparasi or Chitwan district. Superintendent of Police (SP) Yadav Dhakal, chief of the District Police Office, said that moving prisoners to other districts has caused various challenges and issues.

“When prisoners have to be transferred to other districts, it causes problems in manpower, vehicle management, and expenses," said SP Dhakal. "Besides that, it also creates security challenges."

He said that it is not easy to manage prisoners by transporting them daily from one place to another. Moreover, when the local prisons are already struggling to manage their inmates, the arrival of additional prisoners from other districts adds the burden, SP Dhakal said.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and Spokesperson for the District Police, Madhu Nepal, during the first nine months of the current fiscal year, 56 prisoners from Nawalpur were sent to Chitwan, 36 to Nawalparasi, five to the Juvenile Correction Centre in Pokhara, and one to Bhairahawa. Similarly, in fiscal year 2022/23, 79 prisoners were sent to Chitwan and 34 to Nawalparasi, while in fiscal year 2023/24, 64 were sent to Chitwan and 24 to Nawalparasi, according to DSP Nepal.

President of the Nepal Bar Association, Nawalpur, Chet Prasad Dumre, said that the absence of a prison could hamper prisoners’ access to easy justice. Since prisoners have to be managed in other districts, it creates difficulties in getting timely legal consultations and even in meeting with family members, he said.

Although the District Security Committee, considering the urgent need for a prison in Nawalpur, has made a formal request to the Central Department of Prison Management, there has been no response yet. Chief District Officer (CDO) Bhabishwar Pandey said that since Nawalpur is a new district, the construction of a prison was not prioritised, which has added to the police's problems. He emphasised that, along with the construction of the new district headquarters, the police, administration, and prison infrastructures should be prioritised.