DOLAKHA, Dec 22
Gangs are active to register birth of fictitious kids for 10 percent shares of the 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project allocated for the locals. People have been thronging villages in Dolakha district for birth registration in imaginary names as one gets shares for the project built with domestic investment on the basis of birth. Data is currently being collected across the district for share allocation.
Those staying in cities and familiar to the share market have started to do birth registration of their fictitious kids. Locals say these persons are those who have abandoned the villages and have returned only for shares. “Those brokering shares in the city are active even in villages. They are registering birth of kids expected much later and even fictitious ones now. Those from outside have created anarchy at a time when collection of correct data of even those living in the villages is difficult,” Laxman Bhujel of Babare says.
Internal Auditor at the District Development Committee (DDC), Dolakha Jgaadish Aryal, who is also a liaison officer at the District Energy Desk, says people are feeding wrong information with bad intention. “The Village Development Committee (VDC) secretaries may not know everybody personally. They must trust the informants,” he states. “The informant concerned will be punished as per the law if found to have fed wrong information,” he adds.
People have started to return back to villages after talks of share allocation to locals of the district. The district level mechanism—formed under the Local Development Officer (LDO) has formed standards after guarantee of 10 percent shares for the locals in Dolakha—and it plans to allocate shares equally after collecting complete data. The mechanism includes lawmakers from the district, district chiefs of the political parties, civil society representatives and experts.
Those born in the district and residing there permanently to the infants born a day before submitting forms for the shares will be eligible. Those migrating to Dolakha from elsewhere before February, 2007 will also get shares. Those with certificates acquired elsewhere but having land and properties in the district, however, will not get shares. The women married outside the district will also be eligible if they have acquired citizenship certificates from the district. Details about birth registration, citizenship certificates and migration certificates and the date of their issue are also being collected along with the serial numbers. Forms have been kept on the website for those who are abroad.
Dolakha President of the VDC Secretaries Rights Society Bharat Poudel says the local registrars have been doing birth registration and making recommendations for those without necessary evidence. He states that there is pressure for registration with many coming for registration now. Youths old enough for citizenship have also started to make rounds of the administration office to acquire citizenship certificates.
Demand to allocate shares even for married daughters from Dolakha
Women rights activists in the Dolakha have demanded that even the daughters married out outside the district should get shares citing the Interim Constitution that has guaranteed equal rights to the women, and citizenship certificate in the name of mother. “The data collectors have not included details of the girls married outside the district. We have, therefore, urged to correct this anomaly within three days,” Dolakha President of the All Nepal Women’s Association Urmila KC says.
Information Officer at the Dolakha DDC Bikram Karki, however, says the all-party meeting has not taken any decision about the girls married outside the district. Allocation of shares, that should have been done a year ago, has been delayed due to decisions of parties from time to time.
Source : Karobar Daily
