The local people in Likhu Tamakoshi Rural Municipality in Ramechhap are still deprived of services at the municipality office as both administrative and developmental works have been on hold for the past two weeks.

Following a heated dispute over budget allocation to a village for electrification, the elected representatives have been divided into two factions—one led by Chairperson Govinda Bahadur Khadka and another by Vice-chairperson Dipshikha Dahal. Both factions stuck to their guns and blamed one another, disrupting services to the locals.

Vice-chairperson Dahal, Chief Administrative Officer Bhupendra Rai and nine out of 15 executive members of the local unit had come to the district headquarters two weeks ago seeking security from the chairman. They claimed they felt threatened in the village after Chairperson Khadka attempted to attack them following an executive committee meeting.

According to the disgruntled people’s representatives, Khadka tried to attack them after they stood against his proposal of allocating an additional budget of Rs69.5 million to an electricity supply project in Duragaun in Ramechhap.

Khadka, however, refused any wrongdoing. He claimed that he had simply proposed to issue the additional budget required to complete the electrification project.