Local bodies want to exercise constitutional rights freely: Mayor Shrestha

BHAKTAPUR, September 16: Four local governments in Bhaktapur have presented the details of the projects completed during the fiscal year 2077-78 BS (2020-21). The reports were presented during an annual review meeting of the District Coordination Committee (DCC), Bhaktapur held here today. 

On the occasion, House of Representatives (HoR) member and former Minister Mahesh Basnet insisted on coordination among the local, province and federal governments for the effective implementation of federalism.   He took time to advise the local governments to promote a culture of cooperation with federal and province governments and put if any grievances before them confidently. 

Bhaktapur, the smallest district in the country and the part of Bagmati Province, consists of four municipalities. 

Madhyapur Thimi mayor Madan Sundar Shrestha utilized the forum to argue that local governments should be allowed to well exercise 22 rights granted to them by the Constitution. There should be no interference in the exercise of such rights from anywhere else, he asserted. 
 
As he said, related people are expected to have in-depth knowledge about the Constitutional rights given to the local bodies so that effective enforcement of such rights could be ensured.  “The local government is always committed to the spirit of federalism, but unnecessary interference and dictation from anywhere can’t be entertained.”    

DCC Bhaktapur Chief Nawaraj Gelal was of the view that DDC was constitutionally mandated to play a coordinating role among the local bodies.  The Bhaktapur, Surya Binayak, Chagu Narayan and Madhyapur Thimi municipalities presented the annual progress reports in the meeting.