'We need to link education with the labour market'

Aathabis Municipality is the second-largest municipality in Dailekh district, formed in 2015 by merging the erstwhile village development committees of Satala, Sigaudi, Ramkarnali, Pipalkot, Sihasain and Tilepata. Rakam Karnali in Ward No. 4 has been fixed as the centre of this municipality because it is part of the new cities project under the Mid Hill Highway, is easily accessible from the Karnali Highway and has good topography. 

Tarka Bahadur Baduwal of the CPN-UML party was elected the mayor in the 2022 local election. The Rising Nepal's Dailekh correspondent Kamal Sharma interviewed Baduwal and talked about the work he accomplished in the past one and a half years after he was elected to the post.

How have you found your time in the office so far?

After the people trusted me and elected me the mayor, I tried to implement the programmes we had promised in our manifesto. Before my election, the municipality had over Rs. 90 million in arrears. This had made it difficult for the local level to even pay its employees. 

Overall, I am satisfied with the past one and a half years as I have been able to do some work and have received support from all quarters of society.

The municipality does have Rs. 97.1 million in arrears. How did that happen?

In the fiscal year 2020/21, the municipality forwarded Rs. 41.6 million in payments for various projects, but it failed to report that amount through the proper system. Similarly, the local government was required to send back the Rs. 45.6 million that it could not spend that fiscal year. However, it chose to keep that amount and spend it in the fiscal year 2021/22. Both these amounts got reported as arrears. 

What are you planning to do about such a huge arrear amount?

This huge arrear amount has prevented us from implementing our plans. It would be easier if the Rs. 41.6 million we used for payments and the Rs. 45.6 million we spent a fiscal year later are not considered arrears. But the federal government has not heeded our calls, forcing us to pay Rs. 25 million every fiscal year and use only what's left for Aathabis's development.

Do you plan to do anything to improve the quality of education in local schools?

First of all, rather than improving quality of education, I see the need to link education to the labour market. In fact, I would say that our educational quality is poor because our curricula do not reflect local values, is not based on local resources and do not relate to the needs of the market. Quality education is an education that is practical and prepares students for jobs. 

Lack of policies, foresight, coordination and curriculum development framework, as well as weak administration and political interference also prevent us from lifting our educational standards. The federal government should take steps to address these issues and keep Nepali students inside Nepal.

How is the construction of the basic hospital moving forward?

The basic hospital, being built under the 'One local level, one basic hospital' campaign launched by the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, is almost complete. In fact, 90 per cent of the work is already done. 

Three important projects – Mid Hill (Pushpalal Highway), Upper Karnali Hydropower Project and Karnali New City Project – are being implemented in your municipality. But their progress is not satisfactory. How do you plan to change that?

The Mid Hill Highway passes through Ward Nos. 1 and 2 of our municipality. This project is moving forward smoothly. The road remains to be blacktopped in some places but that will be completed within this fiscal year. 

The Upper Karnali project lies within the jurisdiction of the federal government. Nevertheless, we have contacted the relevant person from the project and asked them to expedite the work. We have also asked the provincial government to hold discussions with the federal government to help the project pick up pace.

Regarding the new city project, Rakam Karnali is one of 10 new cities to be developed across the country. Compensation disputes that were present before the formation of the local government have largely been solved and many parts of the project are being implemented. 

We also have the Karnali Highway here. The necessary bridges have not been constructed, which is causing great difficulty for our residents. But, unfortunately, the municipality cannot legally do anything in this regard.

Chhaupadi is rampant in your municipality. What do you need to do to end this social evil?

Chhaupadi is a problem prevalent all over Karnali and Sudurpashchim provinces. Under the federal government's leadership, a campaign to demolish the Chhau huts lasted for some time, but after it ended, people started building them again. So, we now feel that the solution is not the demolition of Chhau huts but to educate people about safe menstruation. We are telling people that even if they choose to separate women during their period, have them stay in safe places. Chhaupadi will not end anytime soon but things are slowly changing.

How is the local government coordinating with the federal and provincial levels?

The principles of cooperation and co-existence outlined by the Constitution have not been followed. In our Karnali Province, the budget is spent as per whims and fancies of the leaders without properly navigating the actual needs of the people. Budget is not allocated proportionally and based on needs, which has made it difficult for us to execute all our plans.