All ministries in Gandaki to resume services soon

By Phadindra Adhikari,Lekhnath, Sept. 18: Preparations are underway in Gandaki Province to resume essential services from government offices that suffered damage during recent protests, while those that remained undamaged have already begun operating normally.

During the recent Gen-Z movement, the majority of provincial government offices in Pokhara were either vandalised or set ablaze. However, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health and Population were not affected. 

Several key ministries, along with government offices across Kaski, Tanahun, and Nawalpur districts, faced significant destruction due to arson and vandalism. Gandaki’s Minister for Economic Affairs and the official spokesperson of the provincial government, Dr. Tak Raj Gurung, informed that services from all ministries would begin within this week.

“We are categorising the affected structures into those that can be repaired and those that need complete reconstruction,” said Dr. Gurung. 

“We aim to resume services from all ministries by September 21.” 

He further informed that the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure is currently assessing office conditions and will move forward with restoration efforts by next Wednesday.

The recent unrest led to the destruction of 42 four-wheelers and 102 two-wheelers belonging to the Gandaki Province government. 

Additionally, six ministries, the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, the Provincial Assembly, several key government offices, and even the official residences of the Chief Minister and ministers were severely damaged. Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey, who had been abroad during the turmoil, inspected the damaged sites on Tuesday. 

He informed that service resumption would begin from public-facing offices and gradually expand to others.

He emphasised the need for collaborative efforts between all levels of government to rebuild. 

“We are starting service delivery from offices that directly interact with the public and will progressively focus on development and reconstruction,” he said. 

“This is not the task of one generation or one government alone. The country must be rebuilt by merging the energy of youth with the experience of the older generation,” he added.

The provincial administration is also prioritising cleanup operations before restoring services. 

According to Acting Chief Secretary Ramesh Dhakal, offices in Kaski and Tanahun were the hardest hit. 

“Most damage occurred in Kaski and Tanahun. Offices in other districts sustained little to no damage,” he informed. 

“Services have already resumed from unaffected offices and we’ve begun offering essential services from damaged ones too. Full services will gradually resume.”