NC, UML urge not to shift provincial capital from Butwal

The political parties in Rupandehi district have appealed to Lumbini government not to shift the provincial capital from Butwal to Deukhuri, Dang while construction of infrastructures there were yet to be completed.

Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) Rupandehi district chapters issued separate press statements on Sunday and drew the attention of the concerned bodies, arguing that there were no adequate infrastructures built yet in Dang.

Stating that their attention was drawn towards the provincial government intention to shift the temporary provincial capital from Butwal to Deukhuri, the political parties viewed that the incumbent caretaker government cannot do this job while new government is yet to be formed in the wake of recently held parliamentary elections.

The Nepali Congress demanded that the new government should be entrusted with the responsibility to shift the provincial capital once the infrastructures in Deukhuri are completely built.

District President of the Nepali Congress in Rupandehi, Ram Krishna Khand, argued that the provincial government should be aware about the daily functions of the Province Assembly which could be affected adversely while hastily shifting the provincial capital. Khand added that there was no physical infrastructure built for the Province Assembly in Deukhuri.

Similarly, UML's Rupandehi Chairperson Tejendra KC claimed that it was a wrong move of the provincial government to forcefully shift the provincial capital to Dang where there are no physical infrastructures while Butwal had well-equipped offices, parliamentary building and staffs quarters.

KC also demanded the provincial government not to interfere with the jurisdiction of the parliament and new government. He viewed that the provincial government should shift its attention towards relocating the provincial capital to Dang once the construction of physical infrastructures in Dang district is over.

Staffers in the public offices in Lumbini Province are also in protest of the provincial government's decision to shift the temporary capital. The permanent provincial capital in Deukhuri of Dang lacks adequate physical infrastructures which would affect service delivery for the public.

Towards this, the staffers in public offices in Butwal handed over a memorandum to Chief Minister of Province Assembly through chief secretary of the Province and clarified that they could not deliver from Deukhuri.