Seven municipal employees suspended in Budhiganga, administrative services disrupted

Bajura: Seven employees of Budhiganga Municipality in Bajura have been suspended following a corruption case related to the construction of an administrative building. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has filed a case against 14 individuals, including the then mayor, in the Special Court, leading to the automatic suspension of the accused employees in accordance with legal provisions.

Those suspended include then-officer 6 Narendra Nath, sub-engineer Ganeshraj Regmi, buyer Shyam Bahadur Khatri, education officer Jayaraj Neupane, assistant sub-engineer Bhimraj Giri, deputy technical assistant Siddharaj Jaisi, and administration assistant Basanta Bahadur Thapa.

According to Mayor Ram Bahadur Baniya, the suspension of employees has affected the education, administration and technical branches of the municipality. He stated that although Prem Jaishi has been appointed as the acting chief administrative officer under the recent transfer and appointment process, financial authority does not rest with other officers who are currently absent.

As per the chargesheet filed by the Authority, recovery of Rs 32.78 million and imprisonment have been sought against 14 individuals, including then Mayor Deepak Bikram Shah and Chief Administrative Officer Prem Kaji Maharjan. The Authority stated that the case has been filed at the Special Court, Kathmandu, under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2059 BS.