Gaun Gaun Ma Singha Durbar (Singha Durbar in Every Village) was the popular slogan during the local elections held in 2017 after the implementation of federalism in the country. Political parties and their leaders, mainly those contesting the local polls, assured people that the powers of Singha Durbar, the country’s administrative centre, would be devolved to the local bodies. However, people in Dolpa, a remote district of Karnali Province, are yet to see this happen two and a half years after the elections.

As many as four local units in Dolpa have been carrying out their administrative and development activities from Dunai, the district headquarters. Dolpobuddha, Shey Phoksundo, Kaike and Chharkatangsong rural municipalities have their administrative centres in the respective local bodies but they mainly execute their works from their liaison offices in the district headquarters.

There are a municipality and seven rural municipalities in Dolpa.

“The villagers have to come to Dunai even for small work. We have to spend a huge amount of money and time to come to the district headquarters. They (the people’s representatives and employees) claim of opening the liaison offices but they carry out all the works from the district headquarters,” said Pema Gurung of Dolpobuddha.

The local people of some remote northern villages in Dolpa have to walk for up to seven days to reach the district headquarters. They have no alternative to visiting Dunai to get services from the local units.

The people’s representatives, however, claimed that they set up liaison offices in Dunai to provide hasslefree services to the service seekers.

Angad Kumar Rana, chairman of Kaike Rural Municipality, said the liaison office was established in Dunai as the local unit did not have a bank. “We set up the liaison office in the district headquarters as there were not a bank and other structures in the local unit. A bank has been recently opened its branch in the rural municipality. We will also shift our office to the village soon,” said Rana. He further claimed the rural municipality was compelled to run its liaison office from the district headquarters as most of the locals left the settlements and stayed in Dunai and other settlements in lower altitudes due to severe cold in winter.