Provincial ministers and secretaries of Province 7 have raised suspicion that employees at the Urban Development and Building Construction Division Office (UDBCDO) might have been involved in irregularities while managing the office of the provincial government agencies.

The government picked Dhangadhi of Kailali district as the province’s temporary capital. Minister for Social Development Dirgha Sodari said the UDBCDO employees have caused delays in setting up offices. “The employees might have been involved in financial irregularities,” said Minister Sodari, demanding that the UDBCDO make public the spendings made on construction of the provincial government buildings.

The buildings of seven ministries are still under construction in Province 7. The provincial ministers also hit out at the UDBCDO employees for their lackadaisical approach towards the works. “The construction of a toilet at the Ministry of Social Development has not been completed yet,” said Sodari.

As a result, the chief minister and some provincial ministers have been forced to live at their relative’s places. Some are staying at local hotels.

Secretaries at the ministries say the construction delays have hit the daily functioning of the offices. “We are facing difficulties due to delay in managing buildings for provincial ministry,” said Pitambar Ghimire, secretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law.

The central government had allocated Rs75 million to arrange infrastructure for the provincial government agencies. Around Rs 35 million has been spent on construction works so far, according to the UDBCDO.

UDBCDO Chief Rabindra Bohara admitted delay in construction works, but said they were giving their best shot to complete the task soon. “The construction works have been delayed after the political parties demanded that contracts be awarded to builders close to them. The offices could have been set up earlier if the works had been divided among all the offices concerned,” he said.