Chief Administrative Officer Sharma Clarifies Office Attendance and Payment Claims

Biratnagar. Chief Administrative Officer of Biratnagar Metropolitan City, Vijay Kumar Sharma, has clarified the news published regarding his office attendance and payment of plans. He claimed that the allegations of being absent from office for a long time and stopping payments are not true. According to Administrative Officer Sharma, out of 62 days in the months of Shrawan and Bhadra, 21 days were public holidays including Saturdays, Sundays, and mourning holidays. He clarified that out of the remaining 41 working days after deducting public holidays, he was on leave for only 7 days. He said, 'In the month of Shrawan, due to the curfew imposed because of the Dewangunj incident, I could not come for 2-3 days while returning from Kathmandu, and I took leave for the remaining 4 days.' He also denied the allegations that the payment of 60 crore rupees transferred as liability to the metropolis and the payments to the construction entrepreneurs were stopped due to him. Stating that the payment process was advanced based on law and priority, he added, 'After taking responsibility, I first made the payment to the consumer committee, and then the payments for completed quotations were settled.' He clarified that there is no mandatory provision to pay 'running bills' for big works according to the law, and it is not possible to make arbitrary payments without ensuring the contract and budget source. He stated that he has been working by prioritizing financial discipline and law over practicality, and compared to other municipalities, Biratnagar is managing payments satisfactorily. Reminding that he came with long experience in the communication sector and administrative good governance, Administrative Officer Sharma claimed to have initiated a transparent practice for the first time in Biratnagar. He said, 'For the first time in the history of the metropolis, the decisions of the municipal assembly and executive and the metropolis's red book have been made public through the website during my tenure.' He said that it is natural for dissatisfaction and complaints to arise from some quarters when trying to run the administration according to procedures and laws, and he will remain steadfast in positive work by taking the issues of both sides normally.