National
Fix number of units: Chief whips
Chief whips of the ruling and opposition parties have urged the government to fix the number of local units at the earliest to ensure local level elections in March-April.Chief whips of the ruling and opposition parties have urged the government to fix the number of local units at the earliest to ensure local level elections in March-April.
At a meeting called by Minister for Local Development and Federal Affairs Hitraj Pandey on Wednesday, chief whips of various parties called on the government to increase the number from 565—which has been proposed by the Local Level Restructuring Commission (LLRC)—and issue fresh instructions to the commission to determine the number and boundaries of local units.
The present number of 565 proposed by the commission is not adequate, the chief whips said in the meeting, adding that with such a low number of local units, it will be difficult for the general public to access state services.
Almost all party leaders who were present in the meeting said that the commission should fix a new number by setting new criteria for determining the local units.
Chief whips of the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal among others other informed Minister Pandey and other officials that their leaders are holding discussions with each other to find a solution on restructuring of the local bodies. It is a political matter and a political solution should be sought, they are learnt to have told the meeting. “There is no alternative to holding local level elections.”