An interaction program on service delivery, current challenges, and needs was held on 13 November at Kailari Rural Municipality, organized by the INSEC Sudurpaschim Province Office, Dhangadhi, with support from DCA and in coordination with the Kailari Rural Municipality-level Human Rights Group. After service delivery issues emerged in Kailari Rural Municipality following the protests of September 8 and 9, the INSEC Sudurpaschim Province Office, Dhangadhi organized an interaction with stakeholders to facilitate smoother service delivery.
Chairperson of Kailari Rural Municipality, Rajsamaj Chaudhary, said that service delivery had been affected because public property, important documents, and records accumulated over the years were burned and destroyed in the name of the protest on September 9. He said that after the incident, the local government was not in a position to provide services immediately. Public property was set on fire. At a time of financial crisis, the damage to physical infrastructure forced us to resume service delivery from zero. Although the building of the Rural Municipality did not appear to be damaged, the important documents and materials kept inside were destroyed, which made it difficult to provide services. Since the ward offices suffered complete damage, they need to be rebuilt. After the all-party meeting, social harmony has improved. We have also resumed service delivery from the ward level.
Vice-Chairperson of the Rural Municipality, Bhagwati Kumari Chaudhary, stated that although public properties belong to everyone, the Gen-Z protest caused damage through arson and vandalism. She said, ‘The federal government is the government that writes policies, and the provincial government is the one that oversees them, but the local government is the one people directly interact with. Any dissatisfaction can be resolved through dialogue. However, arson and vandalism only create problems for all of us.
INSEC Sudurpashchim Province Coordinator Khadkaraj Joshi said that since civic duty is mandatory, citizens must remain vigilant to ensure accountability, prevent irregularities, curb corruption, and uphold good governance. However, he added that destroying public property in the name of vigilance is a violation of the law, and those involved in such activities must be held accountable and face legal consequences. Arjun Shah, the Founding Chairperson of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, Sudurpashchim Province, presented a concept paper on service delivery, current challenges, and needs.