Complaint Filed Over Alleged Misappropriation of Government Goods at Koshi Province Chief Minister's Office

Biratnagar. A complaint has been registered at the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers' Office of Koshi Province alleging misappropriation of government goods. The complaint, filed as 'Extremely Urgent' in the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers' Office's own grievance management system, suspects that the laptops and mobile phones claimed to have been destroyed during the Jenji movement were not actually burned and were taken home by employees for personal use.

"Let's not make the office laptops, mobiles, vehicles, and other goods personal by claiming they were burned in the movement," the complaint urges employees. The Chief Minister's Office had reported 30 laptops and 14 mobile phones as destroyed.

Although the identity of the complainant has been kept confidential, the issues raised in the complaint are extremely sensitive. The complaint claims that government structures were damaged during the movement, and in the process, office laptops and mobile phones were destroyed beyond repair, with official procedures being manipulated.

However, the complaint claims that in reality, these physical materials were not burned, and employees, in collusion, have taken them to their homes like personal property for use. It demands an immediate impartial investigation into this matter and the public disclosure of the actual status of government property.

The registered complaint also presents a list of excessive benefits and facilities being received by employees of Koshi Province. In addition to national-level facilities such as a 21% salary increment from the next fiscal year, dearness allowance, remote area allowance, provident fund, insurance, and pension, employees in Koshi Province are provided with additional attractive benefits.

The complaint includes details of additional monthly salaries, equivalent to that of a Kharidar, being provided to Joint Secretaries deputed from the federal government as provincial secretaries.

According to the complaint, employees of Koshi Province are provided with housing facilities including furniture. The office pays for all internet, electricity, water, and sanitation bills for this housing. In addition, there is a provision for a daily snack allowance of Rs 200, a uniform allowance of Rs 5,500, and additional graded salaries for the same level.

Similarly, the complaint includes details of additional monthly salaries, equivalent to that of a Kharidar, being provided to Joint Secretaries deputed from the federal government as provincial secretaries.

Despite such extensive monetary and non-monetary benefits, the complaint points out that financial crimes and irregularities are flourishing invisibly within the offices. The complaint demands an immediate halt to the malpractices within the bureaucracy.

The complaint states that public anger over corruption and irresponsibility rampant in the bureaucracy has reached its limit.

The complaint includes demands such as stopping illegal transactions of money in government contracts, procurement of goods, and tender processes; stopping the practice of purchasing unnecessary items in the name of finishing the budget, but not auctioning old goods or settling arrears if no commission is received; ending the practice of taking travel allowances by manipulating documents like 'Ganesh Kaja' or 'Gohi Kaja' without doing any work; and stopping the practice of claiming an unreasonable travel allowance for 3 to 7 days for short distances like from Biratnagar to Itahari.

It also demands an end to the misuse of government funds by creating fake bills for alcohol and food under the guise of various programs, and an end to the practice of cutting 4% contingency funds from the budget allocated for development projects, settling bills, and dividing the money amongst themselves.

The complaint states that public anger over corruption and irresponsibility rampant in the bureaucracy has reached its limit. Emphasizing that after receiving salaries and benefits from the taxes paid by the public, they should provide honest service, the complainant has warned, "If your job is not enough to live on, then plow the fields, break stones, but do not engage in corruption. If the public has to remind you again, it will not be the offices or vehicles that will burn, but the corrupt individuals themselves who will become the target of public anger."