KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Forests and Environment is reported to have dominated province in transferring, promoting and managing civil servants.
As civil servant rule as per the constitutional provisions are yet to be formulated, the ministry is dominant to manage staffers in province and local levels, according to the government officials.
The ministry is doing so as it is the beginning phase of implementation of the federalism, the officials said defending the works of federal government. Dr Sindhu Dhungana, Spokesperson at Ministry of Forests and Environment, said that structures of the ministry is yet to be developed despite existence of province and local levels due to the lack of necessary laws.
“The development of structure in the province is under the process. They will be managed,” said Dhungana. “Though forests and environment sections will be in local levels, they are yet to be set up in many bodies. Only the center can manage the staffers in such places.”
Chandra Man Shrestha, joint-secretary at the Ministry of Forests and Environment, said that the center is handling the management of staffers due to lack of laws despite existence of ministries of industry, forests and environment in provinces.”
Federal Civil Service Act, Provincial Civil Service Act and Local Service Act are yet to be formulated. They are still operating under old law formulated 26 years ago,” he said.
The government has already changed the district forest offices into division and sector forests into sub-division. There are 84 divisions and 528 sub-divisions in all 77 districts. Though there must of departments under provinces, old directorates are still in existence. It has been criticized for not implementing federalism.
The Federation of Community Forests Users Nepal has objected the government for centralizing power even in the federalism. “It is cheating of the center by keeping old directorates instead of provincial departments,” said Thakur Bhandari, secretariat member of the FECOFUN.
The government is preparing to post forest officers in the local bodies. “The center still looks to be dominant to manage staffers in local level,” said Bhandari. “Who will the forest officer be responsible to local body or division?” However, spokesperson Dhungana said it could not be said anything now as the forest structures are yet to be approved.
