Pokhara Metropolitan City has decided to provide a monthly allowance to its elected people’s representatives.

The sixth municipal council of the metropolis held last week decided to provide Rs 10,000 each to ward members and Rs 18,000 each to ward chairpersons.

Pokhara Mayor Man Bahadur GC had tabled a proposal of providing a monthly allowance to the people’s representatives at the council’s meeting on Wednesday.

The council’s decision contravenes a Supreme Court order.

Last October, the constitutional bench of the Supreme Court had repealed the laws that provincial governments had enacted to provide salaries to elected representatives at the local level.

Six out of seven provincial governments, except for Province 1, had enacted such laws with the provision of providing monthly salary to the people’s representatives.

However, Pokhara Metropolitan City has opted for an alternative by taking advantage of the legal loopholes.

The municipal council has decided to provide the amount under the heading of “facility” and not salary.

As per the council’s decision, a ward chief will receive Rs 8,000 for transportation, Rs 5,000 as communication expense, Rs 2,000 for newspapers and Rs 3,000 as meeting allowance every month. Similarly, the ward member will receive Rs 5,000 for transportation, Rs 2,000 for communication and Rs 3,000 as meeting allowance.

The mayor and deputy mayor, however, will receive only the meeting allowance, as they have official vehicles.

“Since elected representatives work for as long as 12 hours a day, it is only fair that they are provided with monthly facilities for transportation, communication et cetera from the internal source. It cannot be counted as salary,” said Mayor GC.