An individual can construct a house or any other structures only after the local unit approves its design. However, a rural municipality in Sarlahi district has been constructing its office building without meeting the due legal process.

Chakraghatta Rural Municipality in the southern part of the district has been constructing its two-storey office building near the Dhangra stream without getting the design approved by a technician as required by law.

The locals complained that the public building was being constructed carelessly without meeting the building code. “The rural municipality office building is being constructed on the bank of the Dhangra stream, a flood-prone area. The building neither has adhered to building design nor is it earthquake-resilient,” said Ramji Sah, a local resident.

According to him, the villagers repeatedly requested the local unit not to construct its office building in the flood-prone area, but the latter paid no heed.

Chakraghatta Rural Municipality started construction of the office at the cost of Rs6.5 million by forming a consumers’ committee. The local people claimed the foundation of the under-construction building is also very shaky. “The building is being constructed on a weak foundation. It can collapse anytime,” said Jawahar Prasad Chaudhary, demanding a halt to construction until the due process is followed.

Basoda Devi, the deputy chief of the local body, added that the office building was being constructed against the decision of rural municipality’s meeting. She claimed the meeting held two years earlier decided to construct a building in a different location. “The decisions of the meeting are not implemented. I have been sidelined as I urged to move forward by following the existing legal provisions,” said the deputy chief, asserting that the chief of the local body constructed the building violating the legal procedure.

Bikram Yadav, chief of the rural municipality, admitted to constructing the office building without adhering to the design rules as required. “House and building construction standards have not been prepared yet. So we started the construction without approval,” said Yadav.