Kathmandu, October 29
A parliamentary subcommittee has begun a preliminary study of allegations of irregularities in the procurement of uniforms for election police, with documents kept under CCTV surveillance to prevent misuse.
The study began after the subcommittee received documents from Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force (APF), Nepal.
A subcommittee member said the documents must be examined at the committee’s premises and cannot be taken outside. The arrangement was made to prevent the documents from being misused or removed without proper examination.
The member said the subcommittee had agreed to review the documents impartially and refrain from commenting publicly on the ongoing study, in line with its working procedures.
The House of Representatives’ Public Accounts Committee formed the nine-member subcommittee on October 2, under the leadership of Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Manish Jha. It has been given two months to complete its work.
The subcommittee aims to complete its preliminary review by November 16. Its second meeting, held on Thursday, decided to hold further discussions after the festivals.
Nepal Police recruited 133,980 election police personnel for the March 5 House of Representatives election, while the APF recruited 15,110, bringing the total to 149,090.
The government allocated approximately Rs 1 billion for election police uniforms. Uniform allowances varied by geography, ranging from Rs 6,170 for personnel deployed in the Tarai to Rs 11,500 for those serving in the Himalayan region.
Questions were raised over the quality of uniforms provided to personnel hired for only 40 days, prompting the parliamentary inquiry. Both police organisations have submitted documents asserting that there were no irregularities in the procurement process.
