Kathmandu, January 4
Whereas almost all organs of the government are busy preparing themselves for the new federal structure, the national police organisation, Nepal Police, has been stuck in a debate over the service term of officials and personnel.
Owing to differences between the officials if the current provision of 30-year term should be continued, Nepal Police has not been able to prepare a preliminary draft of the Federal Police Act and send it to the Cabinet for endorsement and implementation.
Top officials who are due to retire within next few months have been advocating for scrapping the provision. Such officials include incumbent Inspector General Prakash Aryal.
Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs had formed a task force under the leadership of former IG Kuber Singh Rana to suggest the federal structure of national police organisation. The panel already submitted the report, but no further discussion has been held over the issue, inform officials.
Likewise, political and bureaucratic leaderships are also apathetic about implementing Rana panel’s recommendations.
Ironically enough, foreign donor agencies have accelerated discussions over the issue and forwarded different modalities for the federal management of national police organisation. Some top incumbent and retired police officials inform that they have been frequently consulted by USAID and DFID, among others.
Nepal Police Headquarters, however, says it does not know anything about such discussions. “We do not know which NGO or INGO are talking about what issues,” Nepal Police spokesperson Manoj Neupane says, claiming the Headquarters is in constant communication with the Ministry of Home Affairs about preparations for structural reform.
Meanwhile, former DIG Hemanta Malla Thakuri views that donor agencies’ activism in such sensitive issues should be controlled as they may try to insert their vest interests in the new modality. An incumbent official who participated in a couple of such discussion says the government and the Headquarters should take immediate initiatives to control NGOisation of the national police organisation.
