Discussion on Increasing or Decreasing Local Levels Ahead of Local Elections: Government and Experts Present Arguments
More than a decade after reducing the number of local levels in Nepal by approximately fourfold to 753, the third local government elections are scheduled for next year. If the elections are held on time, new leadership will be installed in rural municipalities and municipalities within less than a year. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs, and General Administration is proactively working on resolving disputes related to local levels and their wards before the elections.
“Due to some misunderstandings regarding service delivery within the previously defined ward boundaries, nearly 100 files have been submitted,” said Prakash Dahal, Chief of the Federal Affairs Division at the ministry. “According to legal provisions, if the local level council passes a resolution and the provincial government requests the federal government, the federal government can alter the boundaries.” Federalism expert Khimal Devkota explained that while the current local governments — which converted former Village Development Committees into wards — constitutionally have more authority than before, they have become more remote from the people.
“Wards are strong and should be empowered further. However, problems arise if wards are too large and distant from each other,” he stated. “In the Terai region, wards and municipalities cover small areas, but in some hill districts and particularly in the Himalayas, the situation is complex. There are large municipalities in these regions, which require scientific solutions.” On Ashadh 4, the Nepalese government published a notice in the gazette highlighting the need to reconsider the number and boundaries of rural municipalities, municipalities, and wards, as well as the existing municipal classifications, and issued new standards accordingly.
The standards specify that when proposing changes or adjustments to the number and boundaries of municipalities, factors such as population, geography, administrative convenience, infrastructure development status, economic capacity, availability of natural resources, along with language, culture, and community structure must be considered. While the recommendations may come from political assemblies, according to Ministry Joint Secretary Prakash Dahal, since boundary changes also involve technical aspects, a designated body has been tasked with reviewing the standards.
