Karnali Chief Minister Informs Assembly About Disaster Response and Staff Salary Issues

Surkhet. Karnali Chief Minister Mangal Bahadur Shahi has informed the assembly about the actions taken since he took leadership of the government. Addressing the Provincial Assembly meeting on Tuesday, Chief Minister Shahi provided information about the actions taken, including answering questions raised by the lawmakers. Lawmakers Hikmat Bisht, Balimaya Buda, and Krishnakumar Bisi had raised questions about the government's actions during the disaster. 'It is a time of disaster, and the government is incomplete for a month,' Bisht questioned, 'What can we expect from this government?' Chief Minister Shahi provided information about the incidents caused by monsoon-related disasters. Specifically, during this period, the Karnali Province government has passed the 'Karnali Province Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan 2083', 'Karnali Province Monsoon Preparedness and Response Plan 2083', and 'Karnali Province Emergency Warehouse Operation and Management Procedure 2083', and informed that monsoon preparedness work is being carried out accordingly. He stated that a joint discussion was held with the concerned stakeholders, including road supervision offices, road divisions, Bheri Corridor, Karnali Corridor, and security chiefs of all three security bodies, as well as the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure, to immediately resolve the problem of road blockages due to disasters. According to him, specifically, if any road under construction is blocked, the contractor will clear it, and in places not under construction, especially in 16 locations operated by the federal government including Karnali Corridor and Bheri Corridor, dozers have been arranged. It was decided to manage dozers in coordination with local governments through the Infrastructure Development Office for roads connecting municipalities and wards to quickly open blocked roads. Based on this, Shahi said that as of today, except for major landslides, blocked roads in some places are being cleared within 2-3 hours under normal circumstances. A virtual meeting was organized with the Chief District Officers of all 10 districts on Shrawan 21. In it, discussions were held with the Chief District Officers on how preparations have been made for disasters that may arise due to the monsoon and how disaster work is being carried forward in coordination with the three tiers of government. According to him, roads were blocked in 4 places in Jajarkot, 5 in Salyan, 2 in Surkhet, 5 in Kalikot, 6 in Mugu, and 6 in Rukum Paschim, and these blockages have been removed and the roads have been made operational. Chief Minister Shahi also informed that an assessment of 8.8 million rupees is required for the reconstruction of the blocked road in Jajarkot. 'Arrangements will be made for the amount, and reconstruction will proceed after the rains subside,' he said, 'For now, the work of clearing normal landslides and making the roads operational is ongoing.' For the assessment of loss of life and property during the disaster, all offices of the Karnali Province, including the Agriculture Development Office, Water Supply Office, and Physical Infrastructure Office, are assessing the damage in coordination with the District Administration. Details of water supply damage have also been received. Looking at the data across the province, he informed that so far 11 people have died and 29 have been injured due to disasters. Among these, 4 people died in Jajarkot, the highest. 29 houses have been completely damaged, 337 households have been affected. 161 houses are in a risky condition. 4 sheds have been completely damaged and 6 are at risk. The number of displaced households is 129, and the number of displaced individuals has reached 772. One suspension bridge has been damaged. 'We are providing relief by constructing temporary shelters and pitching tents as rescue,' said Chief Minister Shahi, presenting the data. In terms of crops and livestock, crops on 461 ropanis have been damaged. Livestock including 6 buffaloes, 6 cows, and 21 goats have been lost. In the irrigation sector, approximately 500 cubic meters of gabion are needed. 340 meters of irrigation canals have been completely damaged and 1805 meters have been partially damaged. He stated that discussions are ongoing for the repair and reconstruction of all these structures. For the immediate solution of water supply for flood and landslide-affected people in Jajarkot, pipes have been provided and work is being done in coordination with the local government. In the health sector, a health team including doctors and medicines have been sent to the affected areas to prevent the spread of diseases. 'For the resettlement of those whose houses are completely damaged and displaced, the provincial government must provide a certain percentage of funds through the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority and the District Administration Office, after a list is prepared by the district and local disaster committees,' he said, 'For this, local levels have been asked to list quickly. In the case of partially damaged houses, relief will be provided by managing the budget according to the provincial procedure.' Work has been started from the repair fund in the concerned district offices for the reconstruction of roads, water supply, and irrigation structures. However, that alone is not enough; there is a legal provision to manage the budget by holding a disaster council meeting for major reconstruction and proceed. Regarding Staff Salaries In Tuesday's meeting, former Chief Minister Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, Rajkumar Sharma, and other lawmakers expressed anger and demanded a government response regarding the issue of lawmakers' personal staff not receiving salaries since Ashwin 082. Following a letter from the interim government led by Sushila Karki, the salary and perks of provincial lawmakers' personal staff were stopped in Karnali as well. Lawmakers have been continuously raising questions demanding that this facility be provided now. In response, Chief Minister Shahi mentioned that Section 34 of the Inter-Governmental Fiscal Management Act 2074 has a provision for the Government of Nepal to issue directives. 'According to that Act and Article 232, Sub-article 2 of the Constitution, the federal government can direct the provincial council of ministers,' he said, 'However, there has been no correspondence from the federal government regarding personal secretaries so far, nor has the provincial council of ministers made any new decisions.' Therefore, he stated that the facilities will remain as per the provisions in the Act relating to the salary and service facilities of the members of the Provincial Assembly. Similarly, Congress lawmakers are raising questions about the provincial government implementing projects above 3 million rupees through the contract system. Congress says, 'Projects up to 1 crore should also be implemented through consumer committees.' Regarding this matter, Chief Minister Shahi said, 'An agreement was reached between the parties in 081, and we must proceed according to the law. Our ideal is to unite against Karnali's disease, hunger, and poverty, regardless of the ruling or opposition parties. Yesterday, three parties made policies together, today two parties are together, and we will proceed according to the law. We must ask ourselves and review how much we have been able to implement.' Shahi expressed his commitment to readily accept the suggestions received and pay special attention to them in the government's future work processes.