Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa has said Province 2 cannot keep chief administrative officers (CAO) to do the tasks carried out by the chief district officers (CDO).
He has opined that keeping virtually two CDOs in each district will be against the Constitution and laws. "The talks that there will be two CDOs in each district in the Province 2 are mere rumors," Minister Thapa told reporters in Biratnagar. "Two CDOs cannot be deployed in a single district as per the Constitution and laws."
Minister Thapa has made the comments after the Province 2 started preparations to keep CAOs for administrative works in the districts claiming the CDOs have not cooperated with the provincial government. "The Constitution does not have any provision for keeping two CDOs in a district," he stressed.
The provincial government has registered a bill in the provincial assembly to keep CAOs in the eight districts in the province with power to maintain law and order as the CDOs are accountable only toward the federal government.
The CAOs, as per the bill, will do all the works currently being done by the CDOs including imposing curfew, instructing security personnel to control riots and even open fire by informing the Internal Affairs Ministry of the provincial government.
Minister Thapa also claimed that law and order has improved in the past one year and the country is rapidly moving forward on the path of prosperity. He also urged the Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN to come for dialogue.
