Arjundhara Municipality Enacts 62 Local Laws in Nine Years

Jhapa. Arjunadhara Municipality has enacted and implemented 62 local laws in the nine years since the first local level elections to systematize service delivery and performance. According to the municipality, 21 acts, seven regulations, 32 procedures, and two directives have been created during this period. The municipality stated that these laws were enacted with the objective of creating a necessary legal basis to systematize various subjects within the jurisdiction of the local level. Mayor Baldevsingh Gomden Tamang said that laws have been enacted to address local needs and the expectations of the city dwellers, and emphasis has been placed on their implementation. "We have enacted necessary laws to address local needs and the expectations of the city dwellers," he said, "Our effort is to make service delivery more systematic and effective by implementing the laws in practice." The constitution has made provisions for local levels to draft and implement laws within their jurisdiction without conflicting with federal and provincial laws. In accordance with those provisions, the municipality has enacted laws on local needs and jurisdictional matters. Along with the enactment of local laws, the municipality has activated the judicial mechanism for dispute resolution. Out of 590 cases registered in the judicial committee from the fiscal year 2079/80 to the present, 422 have been settled. Mediation centers have been established in all 11 wards of the municipality with the objective of resolving disputes at the local level. The municipality stated that 84 mediators are listed in these centers. According to the municipality, orientation programs on mediation and judicial services have been conducted at the settlement level, legal awareness programs, and interactions with district court judges and staff have been held.