People are questioning the relevance of provincial setup: Gandaki CM

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress (NC) Central Working Committee Member Surendra Raj Pandey, who is also the Chief Minister of Gandaki Province, has said that the province governments were losing relevance.

Addressing the party’s central working committee on Sunday, Pandey said, “We already have federal and local governments in place. Since the provincial setup is relatively new, people have begun questioning the relevance of provincial governments.”

Pandey also acknowledged that political parties have not fully fulfilled their commitments to the people regarding implementing federalism. “I am the Chief Minister of Gandaki Province, but the situation is such that I cannot make much progress in this regard. We implemented federalism and promulgated a new constitution, but we have failed to align our laws with the spirit of the constitution. Unfortunately, there has been little interest in doing so,” he added.

He said the provincial governments could become obsolete soon if three key laws are not enacted promptly. “Immediate action is needed to enact laws related to provincial adjustment, introduce the Federal Civil Service Act, and grant land acquisition authority to provincial governments,” he added.

Pandey further called upon the federal parliament to take needful initiatives for passing legislation to implement constitutional provisions. “NC should also be clear in this regard,” he added.

Expressing dissatisfaction with the party’s focus solely on the functioning of the federal government, Pandey raised a critical question, saying, “We have a three-tiered system of government, but our discussions often revolve only around the federal government. Shouldn’t we also be giving due attention to provincial and local governments?”