Not appropriate to obstruct budget by putting blame on CAO: Dangol

KATHMANDU: Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Sunita Dangol, has said that it would not be appropriate to obstruct the budget and other important activities by placing blame solely on the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

“It is inappropriate to delay the budget under one pretext or another. If the CAO is found guilty, I firmly believe that legal action must be taken against him immediately,” she said in a social media post on Sunday. “I believe that people’s representatives must have the opportunity to question the CAO directly.”

She added that excluding the CAO from meetings deprives elected representatives of the opportunity to question him. “By keeping him out of meetings like this, the public may suspect that he is trying to evade questions from the representatives,” Dangol said. “Therefore, I strongly believe his presence in such meetings is essential so that he can face questions from the representatives head-on.”

The relationship between Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah and CAO Saroj Guragain has soured after the former suspended Guragain on corruption charges. When Balen’s team prevented Guragain from assuming office after completing his suspension period, confrontation ensued and some ward chairpersons escorted him into the office by breaking the padlock of his chamber placed by KMC’s security chief. This has affected the budget formulation process of the metropolis.

Dangol appealed to all elected representatives to participate in the budget process through open and composed discussions, staying within the constitutional and legal framework.

“I urge all fellow representatives to engage in the budget process not with aggression or emotional reaction, but calmly, responsibly, and within the bounds set by the Constitution and law. Let’s not try to sink the boat to throw others off and think we alone can survive. Let’s move forward together, in cooperation.”

Local units are bound by the constitution to present their fiscal budget by Asar 10 (June 24 this year). However, not only have the executive and municipal assembly meetings not taken place, but even key committee meetings such as the Budget Formulation and Program Committee and the Resource Estimation and Budget Ceiling Committee led by the Mayor have not been held.

Dangol also recalled raising this issue during informal discussions not only with the executive and municipal assembly but also with the Budget Formulation and Program Committee.

“Just this past Sunday, I had informal discussions with the Mayor, the spokesperson and some executive members about holding the board meeting and municipal assembly as soon as possible,” she said. “We are elected representatives of the people. The public elected us to serve development, prosperity and the public interest. If we fail to fulfil our responsibilities, we will be seen as betraying the people of Kathmandu.”