CDOs could not be subordinated to Provincial Govt: Minister Basnet

Surkhet, Dec 26 : Minister for Forest and Environment Shakti Basnet has stated that the Chief District Officers (CDO) could not be subordinated under the Provincial governments due to the constitutional compulsion.

Minister Basnet, speaking to the journalists at Surkhet Airport on the way to his home district Jajarkot today, remarked so in the wake of the provincial governments piling pressure on the …(federal government?) to subordinate them under them.

Basnet, who is also former Minister for Home Affairs, said, “The new constitution has granted the CDOs quasi judicial authority. The CDOs are compelled to look into the cases where the government is the plaintiff (badi). At such cases the CDOs have to be more responsible to the federal government.”

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had recently delegated some of its powers to 33 chief district officers of all seven provinces to receive complaints relating to financial irregularities and corruption, and carry out preliminary investigation.

The CIAA had delegated the powers to the CDOs under Sub-Article (5) of Article 239 of the constitution, which states that the CIAA may cause the CDOs to receive complaints and conduct or caused to be conducted preliminary investigation regarding alleged irregularities and corruption in the federal, provincial and local level based public offices under their working areas.

Currently, the CDOs are looking into complaints on cases as gambling, arms and communication and public offence.
Minister Basnet said that the CDOs have to coordinate with the provincial government regarding the issues of administration and peace and security.

Basnet said that the incumbent government was picking a pace and ezpresed his confidence that the promises made by the political parties with the public would be fulfilled.

On a different note, the Minister said that the government was serious about resettlement of the flood-survivors in Surkhet and other districts. RSS