The office of Chitwan District Development Committee (DDC) has been declared the country’s first environment-friendly office.

The declaration was made Sunday amid a special ceremony in which Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa unveiled a statue and planted a red sandalwood plant on the office premises.

The Environment Friendly Local Governance Framework 2013 has set different indicators— among others, gender-friendly toilets, banning plastic use, sanitary landfill site, garden and management of resting place— that an office should have to earn the

eco- friendly status. 

The framework was issued with an objective to mainstream the issues related to environment, climate change adaptation, and disaster

management in the local planning process, and make the local governance system environment friendly. The office of Chitwan DDC fulfilled all the criteria set by the framework.

Local Development Officer Shrawan Kumar Pokharel said every member of the staff had worked hard to achieve the environment-friendly status for the office.