Government issues transfer orders to 850 V.D.C secys

The Ministry of Local Development has issued transfer orders to some 850 VDC secretaries, a move the agitating VDC Secretaries' Rights Protection Committee described as the government's attempt to thwart the protest programmes they have been organising since the past one month.

This is the first time in the last three decades or so that the ministry has decided to issue transfer orders to such a large number of VDC secretaries at the same time. There are altogether 3,913 VDCs in the country.

The VDC secretaries have been giving continuity to their protest programmes across the country demanding security for themselves in the terai region of Nepal after one of their colleagues was brutally murdered by an armed Madheshi outfit. Following this incident they have also said they would not be able to shoulder the responsibility of the people's representatives from now on.

The VDC secretaries have said that since they were not consulted before the decision was taken, there was no way they would abide by it. The committee is going to hold a meeting on August 27 to come up with their stance on the latest decision. nepalnews.com ag Aug 23 07