After temporary and contract employees padlocked the offices of the Chairperson and Chief Administrative Officer of Chhathar Jorpati Rural Municipality, government services have come to a halt.
After the rural municipality canceled the contracts of temporary and contract employees on October 7, 2025, the dismissed employees padlocked the offices, leading to the shutdown of service delivery.
The rural municipality issued a notice on October 7, 2025 cancelling the contracts of temporary and contract employees after receiving a letter from the Ministry of Finance stating that the Government of Nepal, provincial and local levels are not allowed to hire temporary or contract employees beyond the approved staff positions.
After the notice, the dismissed temporary and contract employees submitted a memorandum with four demands to Chief Administrative Officer Mahendra Bahadur Ghimire on October 6, 2025. As their demands were not addressed, they were forced to stage the padlocking, according to dismissed employee Pradeep Ojha.
In the memorandum submitted on 26 Ashoj by the temporary and contract employees, they demanded that since the current fiscal year’s budget has ensured resources for all contract employees, they must be given continuity, and the notice issued on October 7 should only apply to those beyond the approved staff positions.
Likewise, they demanded that the office should not re-advertise and hire new employees in the same positions after removing those beyond the approved staff positions, and those who have been working for a long time, including health workers, should be respectfully relieved of duty if necessary. But as the rural municipality did not listen to their concerns, they claimed they were compelled to carry out the padlocking.
Regarding the padlocking, Chief Administrative Officer of Chhathar Jorpati Rural Municipality, Mahendra Bahadur Ghimire, said that he expects a solution from the level of the rural municipality’s Chairperson. He said that he has already informed the Chairperson about the demands of the temporary and contract employees. Ghimire stated that the padlock has completely halted service delivery.
Chairperson of the rural municipality, Chhattrabahadur Subba, stated that the decision was made according to the letter from higher authorities and therefore there is no possibility of reversing it. Informing that the padlocking issue has been communicated to the security agencies and the Ministry of Home Affairs, he said that the responsibility for security lies with higher authorities and he will not take any action. He said that the rural municipality could resolve matters like protests, rallies, slogans, and hunger strikes, but padlocking the rural municipality is an issue beyond their authority, so they have sought security intervention from higher bodies. Whatever decision comes from higher authorities will be followed, but he will not attend any negotiations or break the locks himself, Subba said. He expressed sadness that the protesting group locked government offices as if it were their private property.
After the cancellation of the contracts, the health and education sectors have been the most affected. With the absence of 15 health workers, health service centers in Ward No. 2 and 5 are being opened and closed only by office assistants. However, service seekers have not been able to receive health services. In Ward No. 2 and 5, four basic health service centers and community health units are operating solely under office assistants. Since office assistants do not know how to handle medical services, no services besides opening and closing the office are being provided. After the restructuring of the nation, the rural municipality had established basic health centers and community health units in wards that did not have health posts, but due to the decision of the rural municipality, those facilities are now functioning only under office assistants.
After the removal of employees from the rural municipality, essential medicines, laboratory services and birthing centers (24-hour delivery services by ANMs) have come to a halt in the health posts, creating difficulties for people in obtaining basic medicines like paracetamol (citamol). From receiving basic medicines to delivering babies, locals are now compelled to travel to the district headquarters in Dhankuta. The decision to remove temporary and contract employees has affected not only health services but also made some child development centers without teachers, and schools are facing a shortage of staff.
Ishwar Thapa