Investigation committee to probe alleged irregularities in Patan municipality

Baitadi: An agreement has been reached to investigate alleged irregularities in Patan Municipality, Baitadi.

An all-party meeting held in the municipality on Tuesday decided to form an investigation committee, said CPN-UML Patan Municipal Committee In-charge Dharmananda Bhatta. The meeting agreed to form a municipal-level investigation committee within seven days from today’s date through the executive meeting to study the issues raised so far and proceed with the investigation process.

Representatives from Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and CPN-Maoist Center attended the meeting. Mayor Gauri Singh Rawal, Deputy Mayor Kamal Singh Bohara, and Chief Administrative Officer Narayan Bahadur Bista represented the municipality.

The investigation will focus on issues including market construction, koseli house construction, safe house wall construction, alleged illegal payments at the waste management center, and the leak of highly confidential municipal documents on social media.

The call for investigation intensified following the lockdown of the accounts department on Ashad 10, led by Deputy Mayor Kamal Singh Bohra. The lockdown was prompted by allegations of undocumented payments, rule violations in disbursements, and payments made without actual work.

Political parties had earlier issued statements demanding an investigation and organized protest programs on the matter.