People from Banau, Shalija, Nanglibang, Dhairing and Lekhphant of Jaljala Village Council in Parbat padlocked their ward offices on Thursday, demanding that the administrative centre of the village council be changed to a more convenient location.

They say that the current centre of the village council, Mallag of Majhphant, is not centrally located for the people of wards 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. 

Jamuna Acharya, a local leader from Dhairing, said they padlocked the ward offices to expert pressure on the local representatives who had assured them to change the village council headquarters during their election campaigns. 

He added that the protest was also aimed at precluding the meeting of the executive council due to take place in Mallag. 

“They seem to have forgotten what they had promised before the election,” Acharya said.

Hira Paija, a Dhairing local, said the elected representatives were in a haste to hold the executive council’s meeting instead of addressing the villagers’ concern.

“The decision to hold the meeting in Mallag struck us as suspicious because the political parties and their elected representatives had made a solemn promise to change the centre,” he said.

According to the local unit implementation working guidelines, the centre of the village council could be changed if a majority decides in favour after the formation of village assembly within six months. 

The villagers from the five wards of Jaljala suspect that the elected representatives could renege on the promise. 

The local representatives, meanwhile, say changing the administrative centre takes planning and time.  

“We have to hold the meeting of the executive council by mid-July. Then we will hold the meeting to solve the problem,” said Bhisma Malla, ward chairman of the Jaljala Village Council-4. 

However, the agitating villagers are insisting that the village council headquarters be changed immediately.