Establishment of area administration office in Kolti brings relief to Bajura locals

Bajura: Locals of remote areas in Bajura have expressed happiness following the decision to establish an area administration office in Kolti, located in the northeastern part of the district.

The government has decided to establish new area administration offices in nine locations across the country, including four districts in the Far West Province. As part of this decision, an area administration office will be set up in Budhinanda Municipality-1, Kolti, bringing relief to residents of the region.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the Council of Ministers last Friday, which approved the organizational and staffing structure under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Area administration offices will be established in Bipinagar of Doti, Gokuleshwor of Darchula, Melauli of Baitadi, and Kolti of Bajura.

Ram Bahadur Rawat, a resident of Himali Rural Municipality-6, said the government’s decision has brought smiles to the faces of people living in remote villages and settlements of Bajura.

“Earlier, we had to walk for two to four days to reach the district headquarters, Martadi, to obtain citizenship,” he said. “Even after reaching there, we had to wait in long queues because there was not enough time to complete the work. Now that an area administration office will be established in Kolti, we hope all these problems will be resolved.”

Rawat added that residents previously had to spend at least Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 just on travel to and from Martadi to obtain citizenship. He said this financial burden will end once the office becomes operational in Kolti.

Himali, Swamikartik Khapar, Jagnath and Budhinanda municipalities are located in the eastern and northern parts of Bajura. Residents of these areas earlier had to travel on foot for two to four days to Martadi for services such as citizenship, national identity cards and land-related transactions.

As residents from all nine local levels had to visit Martadi for such services, government offices there used to face heavy crowds. With the establishment of the area administration office in Kolti, access to services for people in remote areas is expected to become much easier.

“The Council of Ministers has already taken the decision, and now some procedural processes remain,” said Dorendra Niraula, Chief District Officer of the District Administration Office, Bajura. “After these processes are completed, the area administration office will be established in Kolti, Budhinanda Municipality-1, within a few days.”